Fayette schools slowly filling driver, nutrition staff slots

Supply chain issues hitting cafeterias, staff still can earn incentives

November 9, 2021

Steve Rogers,

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – The FayettE County School District slowly is making a dent in its bus driver and school nutrition staffing shortage, but the national supply chain issues plaguing industries is hitting the district’s cafeterias.

And the district has scheduled a number of vaccination clinics, some for adults and the newly approved kids between 5 and 11 and some just for the younger kids.

And finally, school staff still are eligible for incentive bonuses if they get vaccinated by early next month.

“We are thrilled to report that we only have two openings in our child nutrition department and that we have 27 individuals in our bus driver class right now! We currently have 19 trainees who we believe will be ready to start driving buses regularly in just a few weeks. Thank you to everyone who has helped us fill these vacant positions over the past few months. Whether you subbed in a cafeteria or referred a potential employee to our application site, you have played a role in being able to keep our schools open for students,” the district said in its Tuesday report to parents and stakeholders.

“Having our students in person is critically important for helping accelerate their learning. The disruptions of the past two years have been difficult and we are all committed to ensuring that our students are able to recoup those academic skills. Unfortunately, I need to make you aware that we are beginning to see the impact of national supply chain shortages in our cafeteria kitchens. Although our team is working diligently to source food items and placing orders well in advance, our vendors and distributors are not always able to get things from their suppliers. Please be assured that we have plenty of food and will be able to continue providing hot, fresh meals to our students each day. But from day to day, some menu items may be in short supply,” the district continued.

“Our talented and creative child nutrition team is monitoring the situation closely and making substitutions as necessary. Please extend a measure of grace to the wonderful people who are working hard each day to serve breakfast and lunch to our students. You can help us at home by talking with your children about the fact that sometimes the menu will change due to circumstances outside of our control,” the message said.

While COVID case numbers in the county appear to be plateauing or declining at a slower rate, health experts continue to stress the importance of vaccinations.

“As a pediatrician, I strongly recommend COVID-19 vaccination for children ages 5 years and older, in order to reduce the risk of illness to themselves and their families,” Humbaugh said. “This vaccine has been shown to be over 90% effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 infections among 5-11 year olds. Parents can rest easier knowing that children have the best protection available against COVID-19 while at school or participating in school activities,” said Dr. Kraig Humbaugh, head of the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department.

FCPS has partnered with Wild Health, the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department, and HealthFirst Bluegrass to offer free vaccination clinics from 3 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 10. A parent or guardian must be present with a child between the ages of 5 and 11.

Vaccines available for children, adolescents, and adults:

Athens-Chilesburg Elementary, 930 Jouett Creek Drive
Coventry Oak Elementary, 2441 Huntly Place
Tates Creek Elementary, 1111 Centre Pkwy.
Wellington Elementary, 3280 Keithshire Way

Vaccines available for children ages 5 to 11 only:

Cardinal Valley Elementary, 218 Mandalay Rd. – register at (859) 288-2425
Mary Todd Elementary, 551 Parkside Drive – register at (859) 288-2425
William Wells Brown Elementary, 555 E. 5th St. – register at (859) 288-2425
Consolidated Baptist Church, 1625 Russell Cave Rd. – register at (859) 252-2371 or sign up online with the health department

In the last week, the district had 68 new COVID cases among students and eight among staff. The district, which has more than 40,000 students and 8,000 employees, had 300 new student quarantines and three new staff quarantines.

As of November 9, 2021, 303 students and four employees are in quarantine.

Employee Vaccination Incentives: All full- and part-time FCPS employees are eligible for a payment of $200 IF they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Dec. 1, 2021 AND they submit documentation of the vaccination by the deadlines established (Dec. 3 and Jan. 10).

Substitutes who have worked at least 10 days during the 2021-2022 school year, with one of those days being within a month of the payment, are also eligible.

To register for the vaccination incentive program and receive the $200 stipend, employees should click here.