MONTICELLO — The Monticello School District pivoted to remote learning on Tuesday, November 23 due to school bus staffing issues.

Students returned to in-person instruction on Wednesday, November 24.

According to a statement from the office of Monticello School District Superintendent Matthew T. Evans Ed.D., the district was short 15 bus drivers due to illness, long-term leave and existing vacancies in the transportation department.

“If we had all transportation staff (including mechanics and dispatchers), driving buses today [Nov. 23], we still would have had seven runs without drivers,” Evans said in the statement.
The Monticello School District faces critical vacancies in other departments as well.

“I think the labor shortage is a wide-spread issue throughout the country and not necessarily specific to Monticello CSD,” District Public Information Officer Courtney Bonfante told the Democrat.

“In regards to the teacher vacancies specifically, it's been a struggle for a while and been exacerbated by the pandemic. With Monticello being in a rural area, it limits the number of local qualified applicants. We're also competing with higher-paying districts in Westchester, Rockland and even the city,” Bonfante said.

These wide-spread labor shortages continue to affect Monticello School District in the classroom and on the road.

“Though they didn’t factor into [Tuesday’s] decision, we are also short staffed in other departments and schools, especially at Monticello High School, Robert J. Kaiser Middle School and the facilities and food services departments,” Evans said.

According to Evans, they are working to fill the many vacancies throughout the school district and get the schools affected functioning as necessary and attended in-person.

“The district recognizes the need for our students to attend school, in-person, every day. Please know we are trying to resolve these shortages with every available resource,” Evans continued. “We have been and will continue to recruit full-time staff and substitutes in all areas.”