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Saluda superintendent no longer driving buses due to driver shortage

It's been a year since we reported a bus driver shortage forced the Saluda Superintendent to drive kids to school. Now, he says they have enough drivers and more.

SALUDA COUNTY, S.C. — A year since the Saluda County School district was scrambling for school bus drivers, the superintendent says they have enough for the year and some more.

Saluda County School District Superintendent Harvey Livingston describes the last two school years after the pandemic as hectic, and overall short-staffed. With a school district of over 2,000 students Livingston was faced with a decision, either drive kids to school or have them struggle to get to class.

"So myself, my high school principal, my director of administration, we just jumped on busses," Livingston said. "Kids have to get to school. If they can't get to school, they can't learn." 

Livingston says it was a challenge that lasted the entire school year, until this summer. 

"Knock on wood, we are one driver from being fully staffed," Livingston said. "Three of my high school teachers have gone and got their CDL license, so now when there is a shortage, I've got actually teachers who are filling in that gap as well."

Livingston tells News19 three other drivers are in the pipeline to get their certification and join the driver team, putting them in a surplus. He adds the classroom is also a place where the district isn't seeing a shortage either. It's a rare circumstance when compared to other Midlands school districts still looking to hire teachers and other faculty.

"We thankfully have not experienced the teacher shortage that a lot of districts have faced," Livingston said.

Livingston credited Saluda's close-knit community and programs like their 'teacher cadets' that give students a hands-on opportunity to work in the education field. However, he says what has helped the most is bringing back Saluda graduates.

"We currently have about 35 of our teachers who were actually graduates of Saluda High School. For us, that's been a winning combination," Livingston said. "We love outside blood, that's great, but when we can hire our teachers as former graduates, they know our community, they know the struggles a lot of our kids go through and we keep them."

The new staffing changes have parents like Chaka Davis thankful. She has two students in the school district and remembers when they had stress about getting a bus.

Davis says she's not surprised the Saluda community is helping each other out. 

"The busses was pretty crowded, not too many bus drivers. So sometimes the kids wouldn't even be able to catch the busses," Davis said. "Very proud of who we are, what we do and how we get it done. We do it all as one, we try to."

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