Madison principal fills in as school bus driver, as ongoing shortage causes delays and disruptions

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - The Madison Metropolitan School District has had to get creative, after starting off the year troubled by an ongoing bus driver shortage.

Last Wednesday, the principal of Sennett Middle School sat in the bus driver’s seat. Dr. Jeffrey Copeland, who has a commercial driver license, says district leaders called him with the request to fill in.

“I believe a solution would’ve come up. They would’ve had a solution,” Copeland said. “I was here and readily available to help support the problem, which was we have a bus [driver] shortage.”

The top administrator at Sennett Middle School says the district has been working to solve the shortage, a widespread problem the Wisconsin School Bus Association says has improved since 2021.

Nevertheless, the issue has continued to impact how and when many students arrive. Last week, on the first day of school, NBC15 reported MMSD parents felt frustrated and were left wondering where their children were.

“It’s still a delay. Kids get to school late, but it’s a process,” Copeland said, adding the district has had to go through transitions this year.

MMSD is working with new bus company First Student this fall. “Our returning middle-school families are the ones who will be impacted the most by our switch in transportation providers,” district officials wrote in an August article titled “Back-to-School Transportation Info.”

They continued, “Though change can sometimes be hard, in this case, we’re confident that it will be worth it. The new buses are equipped with lots of features and amenities—like air-conditioning—that are designed with rider security and comfort in mind.”

According to a district spokesperson, a few other administrators took on similar roles, either driving a school bus or leading a “walking” school bus last week.

Copeland says he has already vowed to step up again and step in behind the wheel. “I’ll go in the kitchen and serve food if I need to. Whatever I need to support our children, that’s what we do here at Sennett Middle School.”

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