BUTLER TWP — Bus drivers for the Butler Area School District will receive a stipend of $15 per day through the end of the year in response to a lack of personnel the district has been operating with this school year.

District Superintendent Brian White said the district had several instances last week where there were not enough bus drivers to meet the needs of the district. The stipend, which the school board approved Monday, is an attempt to help bring more drivers to the district, and White said it is being paid for with money the district had budgeted for transportation.

“We need drivers, and we want to recognize those drivers who are showing up every day for us,” White said. “We reduced so many runs that we are under budget, and so we can use some of those funds to try to stabilize the drivers we have.”

According to White, the district had been running 106 bus routes in 2019. This year, there are 82 routes, in part thanks to the closing of the middle school.

In an interview in September, Tabitha Scutt, the district’s transportation director, said its transportation provider, Valley Lines, has been short-staffed for some time.

“It has been years since we had an abundant number of drivers,” Scutt said. “Valley Lines is always looking for more drivers. It’s an inviting job for retirees and those seeking part-time pay.”

In other business, White told the board that administrators are looking to lock in a new electricity contract because the current one with Direct Energy ends at the end of this month.

The current contract, which is for a two-year period, has the district paying $0.047 per kilowatt hour. White and director of finance and operations Heather Bonzo said rates are rising to be as high as $0.09344 per kilowatt hour, but the district could lock into a contract for a certain time period to get a lower rate.

The board directed White to seek the best possible rate to lock into as soon as possible. He said he will come back with an update on the electricity contract at the next board meeting Oct. 17.