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Union steward and public commenters urge Hopewell Area SD to expand trade training and address bus driver shortage
Summary
Residents and union steward Bob Amarine told the Hopewell Area School District board that vocational programs and bus staffing need urgent attention: speakers urged restoring hands-on trade pathways, stronger retention for drivers the district trains, and patience from the public as staffing recovers.
Residents and a union representative pressed the Hopewell Area School District on transportation shortfalls and the loss of hands-on vocational training, arguing the district must do more to prepare students for trades and to retain bus drivers.
At a public-comment period, an unnamed resident described trade skills—carpentry, plumbing and auto mechanics—as "generational" knowledge that students no longer receive in school. The speaker urged the district to revive programs that place students in practical roles, such as helping bus drivers or working on maintenance, and warned that students often do not understand contractor pay structures such as 1099 arrangements and the associated lack of workplace protections. "You need these kids to get into the unions to protect them," the commenter said, adding that many students do not know what a 1099 means for insurance and injury risk.
The commenter also recounted a personal example of transportation-related academic consequences, saying their child was late to math class repeatedly because bus routing made it difficult to get from one school to another.
Bob Amarine, who identified himself as "the union steward for 205 for transportation," told the board the district has lost drivers over recent years and asked the community to help recruit. "We are doing with 14 full-time bus drivers what we did three, four years ago with 23 or 24," Amarine said, describing some drivers working 10–14 hour days to cover routes. He praised district leadership for obtaining a commercial driver's license and said the transportation department will train new applicants: "If any of you folks out there at home are looking for a job ... we will train you."
Amarine also raised retention concerns, asking what the district is doing to "protect our investment" when the district pays for licensing and drivers later leave for higher-paying work. He urged the board and the public to "give us some slack" as staffing pressures persist.
Why it matters: The speakers linked two operational challenges—shrinking vocational programming and a drop in bus staffing—to student outcomes, including missed class time and reduced career pathways. Bus staffing shortfalls can also increase overtime for current drivers and raise safety and reliability concerns for families.
The board did not debate new policy in public comment but moved on to its agenda after the comment period. The next regular board meeting is scheduled for Sept. 23, 2025.
