“When we went higher and paid more, we didn’t really get a lot more
drivers. It was nice for the ones who were driving, but it didn’t really bring in more drivers,” Yarbrough commented. Tom Carroll, transportation director for San Juan Unified School Dis-
Ensuring students get on the right bus and get off at the right stop since 2013
trict in Southern California, said the trainee issue is only part of the larger topic of driver pay. “The pay issue is an age-old question, but a raise is just a short-term solution for a long-term problem,” he observed, noting the high-pressure nature of the job. Carroll said his district’s policy of providing full healthcare benefits for part-time drivers helps retain current drivers more than it attracts new ones. “When I hire them, they’re looking at the starting wage,” he added.
Taking Training to New Applicants Anthony Pollard, transportation supervisor with Baldwin County Public Schools in southern Alabama, said there’s value in requiring applicants to share the time, energy and financial investment that goes into driver train- ing. “If they have skin in the game, it’s going to matter how they approach the job,” he said. The school district, which covers more than 2,200 square miles northeast
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of Mobile and requires 307 routes, has taken some innovative measures to attract trainees and convert them into long-time drivers. “Instead of making (trainees) come to us, we’re willing to go to them and train them,” Pollard said. “If they’re showing a willingness upfront to get their CDL, we’re going to show a willingness to train them.” Trainers are also available after school hours because some teachers
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want to earn their CDL and drive for the extra paycheck. About half of Baldwin County’s drivers are also teachers. “Because teachers are on salary, not hourly, they can do that. They are also better at managing kids because they’re with them all day,” Pollard said. “That helps us get more people who are willing to become drivers.” The district doesn’t place drivers on the road as soon as they receive their
Top 10 Additional Benefits Offered to School Bus Drivers Sick leave Retirement benefits of some kind Dental insurance; full/partial paid or access only Miscellaneous/Undefinable Life insurance; full or partial paid or access only Holidays paid Personal day/days Vision insurance; full/partial paid or access only State retirement pension plan Vacation pay (Out of 181 responses to STN reader survey.)
44 School Transportation News • NOVEMBER 2019
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