W
hen compared to the average minimum wage in the U.S. of $7.25 an hour, $19 an hour to drive a school bus doesn’t sound all that
bad. But when compared with actual job duties of school bus drivers, and the fact that well-known restaurant food chains are willing to pay a starting wage of $21 an hour to combat labor shortages, it all comes into perspective of why hiring transportation employees is a challenge. Not to mention the added COVID-19 duties, like contact tracing and cleaning. As two college students in Arkansas told School Trans-
portation News in January, the job itself doesn’t equal the pay. Yet they and many others within the industry continue to transport the nation’s most precious cargo. Ian Hernandez, 19, and Mike Ankton, 20, cited a flexible schedule, as one benefit to school bus driving, along with growing their retirement fund before going into the workforce and a pure passion for the industry itself. In addition to increasing salaries, the college students recommend all states and districts lower the minimum
driving age to 18, along with better advertising of retire- ment plans and district paid training programs. STN has written countless articles on how positive
workplace culture can equate to more employees will- ing to stay in the industry. True especially during the pandemic, pay could be more of a driving force along with additional benefits such as paid time off, retirement pensions and medical insurance, according to readers who responded to this month’s survey. For instance, Jeremy Carnes shared that Grants Pass School District 7 in Oregon had to raise the starting school bus driver wage to $20 an hour to compete in the local community. As the district’s transportation supervi- sor, Carnes explained that larger school bus contractors nearby were offering a higher starting wage plus a bonus to get people through the door, so he noted that Grants Pass had to raise wages to be competitive. “Being competitive in our local area was more import-
ant than statewide minimums,” he said. The minimum wage in the state is rising to $13.50 in July.
In addition to offering a starting salary of $15.67 an hour for school bus drivers, the Mustang Public Schools in Oklahoma offers other benefits such as medical and life insurance, a retirement pension, overtime pay, additional driving hours, and a positive workplace environment, as well as professional development training.
52 School Transportation News • MARCH 2022
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