The Wake County school system will pay a $1,200 bonus to new bus drivers to try to fill dozens of vacancies for next school year.
The Wake County school board voted Tuesday to offer the signing bonus after transportation officials said their goal is to hire at least 85 new school bus drivers to staff all their bus routes this fall. Wake’s shortage comes amid a national shortage of bus drivers that’s forced some Triangle transit agencies to cut back their services.
“I’m always going to vote to give bus drivers bonuses and money because I do believe that it is a necessary and thankless job,” said board member Monika Johnson-Hostler. “The other piece of it is it is a necessity for our district, not just our geographic size but traffic alone. That is a valued position for us.”
If Wake doesn’t get enough new drivers it could impact the service that students get next school year.
But bus drivers aren’t the only positions that Wake has problems filling. David Neter, Wake’s chief business officer, said a plan could be presented July 20 to offer bonuses to fill other hard-to-fill support staff positions.
Fewer bus drivers each year
The school district has been hemorrhaging bus drivers for years.
In the 2013-14 school year, Wake had 881 bus drivers. Wake is now down to 660 full-time bus drivers. Wake also has 54 permanent substitute drivers who are supposed to fill in when drivers are out sick but instead have been pressed to handle regular routes.
Wake has had to make changes over the years to deal with the driver shortage, including redrawing routes, making students walk further to the bus stop and filling buses more.
Wake has taken steps in recent years such as raising the starting pay for drivers to $15 an hour. But Wake still pays less than municipal transit agencies.
“The demands required of a yellow bus driver are significant compared to, let’s say, a city bus driver or a driver of, let’s say, a long haul,” Neter told the board. “Again, I don’t want to begin comparing, but in my mind a yellow bus driver wears a lot of different hats.
“They’re a disciplinarian. They’re a driver. They’re in charge of safety. They’re a custodian for that bus and they’re all trying to do that all at the same time sometimes.”
This school year, around half of Wake’s 160,000 students signed up for the Virtual Academy program due to the coronavirus pandemic. Transportation officials said this allowed them to consolidate routes.
But more than 90% of Wake’s students will take in-person classes this fall, meaning Wake needs to have 785 drivers. Taking into account annual attrition, Wake says it anticipates only having 700 permanent and substitute drivers available.
‘Band aid’ solution to driver shortage
Under the new bonus, newly hired drivers who have a satisfactory job performance after three months of employment would get $400. They’d get the remaining $800 if they stay on for a full year and still have satisfactory job performance.
Wake will also pay all the costs for new drivers to get their license to drive a school bus.
Board member Jim Martin called the bonus a “band aid at best,” saying they’ve created a noncompetitive job situation.
Board member Christine Kushner blamed the state for not paying school bus drivers enough, forcing Wake County taxpayers to pick up the slack on school funding.
“I think it’s much more equitable, fairer and sustainable for the state to step up,” Kushner said. “I also recognize that’s not the trend.”
