Call is Out for More School Bus Drivers, Bus Personnel in Franklin County

The Franklin County Charter School System is looking to hire more personnel for their transportation department.

Currently, they have openings for a bus driver, substitute bus driver and bus monitor.

All applicants must have a high school diploma or GED, be at least 18 years old, go through a physical exam 60 days prior to starting, pass a drug/alcohol test, and have good moral character.

At a recent Board of Education meeting, School Transportation Director Ray Hamilton told the Board they are short 15 school bus drivers.

He said they’re losing drivers to neighboring school systems who pay more.

“We, as a district, have positions for drivers and bus monitors. Our neighbors have positions for drivers and monitors. So, the job descriptions are the same. The benefit packages are the same. Where we are struggling is that we are not competitive in our salary. That’s a hard one but it is a reality. We’ve had many interviewees come through over the last 12-18 months. They were strong candidates. They liked our system and wanted to be part of it but they went a different route. And many times it’s about the compensation. That’s our biggest struggle,” Hamilton told the Board.

Right now, the starting pay for school bus drivers in Franklin County is around $15 an hour.

Hamilton said the other school districts in neighboring counties pay about $2.50 more an hour than Franklin County and some base their pay scale based on years of service.

“The shortage of school bus drivers is a problem not just in Franklin County but in other school districts,” said School Board Chair Robin Cato Tuesday.

“Everything is on the table,” she said when asked if the Board is considering raising the hourly pay rate for school bus drivers.

And because of the shortage of bus drivers, his department has had to consolidate some bus routes and recombine middle and high school students onto the same school bus.

“So over the past two years, middle school students and high school were separated. They rode independent buses. We re-combined them. So, we took 26 individual routes, and by combining students and combining the routes we took that number down to 21. So, we picked up five positions there,” he said.

There was no discussion regarding school bus driver wages after Hamilton’s report and the School Board did not vote on the matter.

The Board will meet again on Thursday but it’s not yet known if the issue will be on the agenda.