Bus Driver Pay Increases
Bold Moves to Attract Drivers
A
s kids, we used to sing, “The wheels on the
bus go ‘round and ‘round.” Now, pay for school
bus drivers is going up, up, up!
In the recent years, Buncombe County Schools
has seen numerous spikes in job vacancies for bus
drivers and filling these much-needed positions
has been difficult for various reasons. Assistant
Superintendent Joe Hough explains the area’s
unemployment rate is lower than other counties
in the state and job opportunities have increased
with business growth.
“Essentially, we have to become more competitive
as we search for quality people,” says Hough.
Additionally, Hough adds that it is important
to recruit workers who are the “right fit” for
the job. Drivers must be able to manage the
bus routes into their daily schedules, as well
as enjoy spending time interacting with school-
aged children.
“It is a good job with a decent salary and for most
employees it can also carry benefits [such as] health
insurance and membership in the state retirement
system,” says BCS Personnel Director Cynthia
Lopez. “From the school system’s standpoint, it’s
one of our most important jobs; it’s how our kids
arrive to school each day.”
This year’s bus driver salary increases are a
bold move to attract and retain drivers for the
sizable 262 bus fleet that serves more than 16,000
students and travels over 17,000 miles daily.
Beginning February 22, all steps of the bus driver
pay scale were increased so that drivers will
earn more money. Permanent drivers now earn
an hourly rate of at least $14.12 inclusive of the
local supplement. As an additional recruitment
tool, new drivers will receive a $100 signing
bonus until June 9, 2016. All Commercial Drivers
License (CDL) cost will be reimbursed upon
successful completion of the training process.
Hough continues, “We strongly feel that this pay
increase will give us a distinct and immediate
competitive advantage in attracting and retaining
high-quality, dependable bus drivers to safely
transport our most valuable resource: our
students.”
NEW PAY SCALE FOR PERMANENT
BUS DRIVERS including supplement
Years of Experience Hourly Rate
0-4
5-9
10-14
15-19
20-24
30+
$14.12
$14.74
$15.23
$15.62
$16.15
$17.28
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Local supplement
Mentor Program
Professional Development
Highly Desirable Location
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buncombe.k12.nc.us
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