Walton County School District Seeks Bus Drivers as Growth Strains Routes
Walton County School District is recruiting school bus drivers as the third fastest-growing county in Florida keeps adding routes — and the routes in question carry Freeport Elementary, Middle, and High students every school day.
Transportation coordinator Dennis Grey told WJHG that the superintendent asked the department to address ridership times and ridership numbers wherever possible, which the district does by adding routes when it has the opportunity. “You do that by adding additional routes when you have the opportunity, so we’re always looking for qualified drivers,” Grey said.
The district currently employs 66 school bus drivers plus 10 standby drivers. Qualified applicants need a CDL Class B with P (passenger) and S (school bus) endorsements, but district administrators say they will train applicants who do not already hold the certification. “You can come to us if your DMV background checks out clean, and then once you graduate, you will have your CDL with the P and S endorsement, and we’ll try to find you a place to help us out and help the citizens of Walton County,” Grey said.
District leaders also framed the job as community work rather than just driving. Grey noted that some students ride with the same driver their entire school career, and that for some kids the driver is one of the few consistent adults in their morning — “they look to the bus driver for security, safety, and as people who care about their future.”
For Freeport families, the district’s hiring push matters in concrete terms: the district’s growth-driven route additions shape pickup and drop-off service at Freeport Elementary on Highway 20, Freeport Middle School, and Freeport High School. More qualified drivers means the district can keep pace with ridership as subdivisions along the Highway 20 and US 331 corridors keep filling in.
Applications are accepted through the Walton County School District job board.
