makes them full time and enhances any sick/personal time they receive,” he said. “This is important because it has helped me draw some candidates in, many much younger than the demographic we previously drew in.” However, Jerreld said there are just as many jobs that
don’t require as much responsibly as driving other peo- ple’s children and the large commitment of training. He said other districts and contractors that pay more also can’t find enough people, adding that he doesn’t believe it’s entirely a money issue. “Obviously, school bus driving is a difficult job,” he said. “As one of my colleagues once put it, it is a part-time job with full time responsibilities. They are responsible for so much, from just getting children from Point A to Point B in an increasingly more dangerous driving environment to having to attend a large amount of pre-service and in-service training. They are also expected to work varied hours such as when there are early dismissals scattered throughout the year as well as two-hour delays for weather. Through all of this they are held liable for anything that goes wrong.” He noted that if there is a magic bullet solution to the
driver shortage, he would like to hear it. “Money might be part of the answer. I’m sure there is a tipping point where people would be more interested,” he shared. “The barriers such as the CDL written test that tests people on skills they will not need for the job is a barrier. The large commitment of time for a part-time job is a barrier. The behavior of students and parents is a barrier. “In reality, the job isn’t for everyone. You have to be able to follow directions/procedures, and be able to communicate well with students, parents and school staff. Those people are excellent, effective drivers. The ones who lack those skills, struggle. We work very hard coaching those people with limited results.”
Southeast Region Lee Levingston, the former director of transportation
for Prince George County Public Schools in Virginia, said what while pay isn’t everything, it is the point that most look at first when evaluating the position. Next, he said, is organizational culture. “When morale is higher, your pay rate may not need to be as competitive,” he said. Levingston, who this month becomes the director of transportation for San Angelo ISD in Texas, noted that drivers for Prince George are paid a starting wage of $20 an hour, which he said is on the low side for the Rich- mond, Virginia area. Based on years of service, drivers can receive up to $33 an hour. Drivers work 30 hours a week for 182 days. They are
offered benefits but not considered full-time employee, he shared. “We have several early retirees that like it for the health care benefit,” he noted. “I believe that the retirement is found to be a great benefit to most employees as well.”
46 School Transportation News • JULY 2024
Prince George County Public Schools in Virginia displays signs appreciating drivers.
Midwest Region Champaign Unit 4 School District bus drivers are
receiving a starting wage of $21.33 for the upcoming school year, which is a $0.42 increase from years past. Director of Transportation Bradley Carriveau said he believes his district pay is average for Illinois. However, the district offers a 32-step program that pays drivers based on years of service. Drivers with over 30 years of experience can negotiate through the union to make $39 an hour. Yet Champaign Unit 4 is short roughly 20 drivers for the new school year, even with its benefits package. Carriveau said drivers are offered 5-, 6- and 8-hour guaranteed positions during the school year. “Some people are after the pay while looking at health
care benefits and or retirement,” he said. “Champaign Unit 4 offers a great benefit package for our guaranteed drivers of eight hours. Insurance and retirement is paid by the board/district. Our six-hour guarantee employees will have to pay at least 20 percent of their insurance until they are with the district for three years then they receive the same benefit as our eight-hour drivers.” Tablets also help with the driver shortage by using al-
lowing new applicants to get to know the area as well as the students, since the district is also using the ridership technology, Carriveau said. One solution to the driver shortage could be offering summer employment. He said that about one-third of his staff commits to summer school routes or cleaning out buses. “We are partnering with our HR department to help recruit via radio ads, and we might be doing a job fair this summer,” he said of other active recruiting strat- egies. “We are also offering a sign on bonus of $1,250.” Despite those efforts, he said the best recruiters are the
current staff. “More and more districts are trying to look at ways to
improve morale and offer more of thank you bonuses to assist in recruitment,” he concluded. ●
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