Allentown School District is switching its transportation service provider, leaving the status of its bus drivers up in the air.
A Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification recently was issued by Ohio-based First Student for two locations in Pennsylvania. Federal law requires employers to provide notice 60 days in advance of a closing or mass layoff.
The WARN notice affects 173 workers at First Student’s Allentown facility at 1812 S. 12th St. and will go into effect June 30. The other notice is for 80 workers with Hempfield Area School District in Westmoreland County.
The Allentown School Board voted to switch bus service to Student Transportation of America at a January meeting. The five-year, $59.5 million contract will go into effect July 1.
The school district said in a news release it anticipates “a smooth transition” because First Student and STA both work with the same parent labor unions and it believes “that STA will engage most of the First Student employees, because of comparable terms and conditions of employment and due to the national shortage of drivers.”
An STA spokesperson said the company is looking forward to its new partnership with the school district and will be working to optimize student routes for the 2024-25 school year.
STA will be hosting a job fair on June 11-12 at the Four Points by Sheraton Allentown СŷƵ, 3712 Hamilton Blvd. There will be two sessions, the first at 10 a.m. and the second at 2 p.m., on both days.
STA is looking for experienced CDL candidates, but said it also offers comprehensive paid training for eligible candidates to receive CDL licenses.
Other school districts in the СŷƵ that have a contract with STA are Bangor Area and East Penn.
