School District of Lee County tackling bus...

FORT MYERS, Fla. —

Bus drivers can be the start of a great day for kids as they go to school. This year, however, Lee County is dealing with a shortage of drivers. This will impact your son or daughter's pick-up time for the upcoming school year.

The school district says they are short 70 bus drivers.

"The district has grown a lot; more bus drivers and more attendance," said Cathy Roberts, a bus driver for Lee County.

Roberts has been a bus driver for 27 years, and while she has noticed the shortage of bus drivers in the area, it doesn't stop her lover for the job.

"It feels wonderful that parents trust me with their kids," Roberts said.

Roberts' dedication is exactly what Lee County is looking for in a bus driver.

"I drive safe, I monitor my kids, monitor the road, just keeping it safe," she said.

Officials are also trying to get kids home at a decent time. Some afternoon routes are taking longer.

"With proximity coming into play this school year, we did reduce 64 of our routes," said Jarriad McKinney, the executive director of transportation. "So with that said, the tail end of our route to make on-time arrivals a little better."

To get staffing to where it needs to be, the school district is now paying drivers $18.90 an hour; right now, they're in negotiations to increase the pay even further.

"We also changed the benefits to make it more affordable for employees and we’re also encouraging people to come by let them know you can work the same schedule with your kids," McKinney said.

All to help stay on the road to excellence.

"My goal and key this year is to have clear, concise, competitive communication with the community, with the schools and with us," he said. "Because the more communication we put out, the better everybody will be."