OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — School’s out for summer but the job doesn’t stop for Osceola County school leaders. The district is holding a job fair Tuesday in hopes of filling several positions within its transportation department.

The bus driver shortage has been an uphill battle for school districts nationwide, but the Osceola County school district is facing another hurdle: population growth.

According to Census data, Osceola County’s population grew by more than 44% from 2010 to 2020. To put it in perspective, the growth in Orange County pales in comparison. In the same time period, neighboring Orange County grew by about 25% despite the fact the county also encompasses metropolitan Orlando.

“With the population growing, there’s more and more families here,” said Zach Downes, transportation community relations specialist for Osceola County Schools. “I cannot stress enough that there are housing developments going everywhere. And when there’s more families, there’s more kids, and essentially that means more bussing.”

District officials are hoping to fill positions ahead of opening a new elementary school in the Celebration area. Though many students slated to attend Island Village Elementary School are existing students of the district, district officials say they need to add more routes to accommodate them.

Starting next week, Downes said the district will begin training current bus assistants to be bus drivers. The district also wants to remind prospective employees that the district will pay for them to get their Commercial Drivers License (CDL).

“Being a bus driver is a really big, important factor of our community when it comes to thinking about our kids, safety, and developing the leaders of tomorrow,” Downes said.

The job fair runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 401 Simpson Road in Kissimmee. The district will also be hiring teachers and paraprofessionals at the event.