Local and state education officials express concern regularly about the shortage of qualified and certified teachers in West Virginia’s public schools. But there is another insufficiency, and in a critical way, it is much more worrisome for families as to whether students make it to school on a given day.

During a discussion recently before the Ohio County Board of Education, Ohio County Schools Operations Director David Crumm told board members the district currently is in need of two full-time drivers, and can always use more substitutes. Ohio County currently utilizes 41 bus drivers each day when school is in session — and with less than two weeks before the first day of classes on Aug. 16, filling those slots would be beneficial.

Ohio County has not had issues with ensuring students are picked up each day, but other counties in our region, in recent years, have faced severe bus driver shortages. Crumm and other administrators want to ensure that doesn’t happen here.

“We can always use additional sub drivers who are able to help on a daily basis,” Crumm said. “There are always extra curricular trips, sports trips and other activities during the school day.”

Potential bus drivers must have a commercial drivers license and sit through a few weeks of classes and driver training. As Crumm noted, they also have to enjoy working with children.

“We look for somebody who enjoys being around kids, and for whom safety is a priority. They are driving students and employees a lot of miles every single day,” he said.

The pay also has increased in recent years, with Crumm noting a full-time driver can earn about $24 an hour plus benefits — and summers off, if a person so chooses. That’s a little more in line with what those holding a CDL can make driving a water or sand truck for the natural gas and oil industry.

Having an ample supply of drivers and substitutes is just what’s needed with school’s start at hand. That means state officials must ensure that not only are they thinking about how to address teacher shortages, but also how to ensure each county can be competitive in hiring bus drivers.

And as we talk school buses and the return of students to classes, it should serve as a good reminder to the rest of us to pay attention, slow down and respect the rules of the road when it comes to school buses and students. If the stop sign is out and the lights on a bus are flashing, stop. Let’s put student safety first by giving extra time each morning to reach our destination.