The Ken-Ton School District is launching a free school bus driver training program thanks to a nearly $250,000 grant from the New York State Department of Labor.  

The first-of-its-kind program will include six free, six-week training sessions and it will cover all permit and licensing fees, fingerprinting costs and even provide parents with a stipend to cover the cost of child care.  

District officials hope this will help add 72 bus drivers to operate their fleet over the next year.

"This new program is an innovative solution to address the ongoing bus driver shortage, which school districts, not just Ken-Ton, school districts across the region and the nation have been struggling with this year," said Ken-Ton School District Superintendent Sabatino Cimato.

Anyone interested in becoming a bus driver for Ken-Ton Schools can click here.