No bus driver? Schools are paying parents to drive their own kids as economic disruptions hit classrooms

The dearth of workers — combined with manufacturing hiccups and shipping delays — is also complicating the production of school supplies and backpacks. Bill Firnberg, owner and general manager of Teacher Direct, a supplier in Birmingham, Ala., says he has more than 2,000 purchases on back-order, including chalk, plastic envelopes and wooden block sets. Shipping costs have risen about 7 percent in the last year, he said, and short-staffed manufacturers are prioritizing certain items, such as crayons, leading to delays for watercolors and dry-erase markers.