The Iola school district boosted pay for bus drivers in hopes of overcoming a shortage of drivers.
The Marmaton Valley and Humboldt districts aren’t currently facing a driver shortage, but Marmaton Valley also boosted bus driver pay in anticipation of a wave of retirements.
Iola’s Transportation Director Aaron Cole asked the school board to grant a $1 per hour increase to drivers who have a CDL. That will bring their starting pay up to $16.50 per hour and will apply to all four of the district’s current route drivers. It does not include any contract negotiations that may occur later this summer.
Cole has placed numerous advertisements to recruit drivers and provides free CDL training, but has struggled to fill vacancies. A few years ago, the district had eight bus drivers so Cole said he could hire as many as four more but hasn’t received applications.
Cole also surveyed other districts in southeast Kansas and found bus driver pay ranges between $14.75 to $18 an hour. The increase gives Iola one of the higher starting salaries in the area.
MARMATON Valley’s school board also agreed Monday to a pay increase for bus drivers, giving them another $100 per month.
Superintendent Kim Ensminger said the district currently is fully staffed with five route drivers, a van driver and two substitute drivers. Most have been with the district for many years and are nearing retirement.
The board’s concern was finding replacements after those drivers retire, Ensminger said. The pay increase was a proactive measure to entice future hires.
The board also boosted classified staff salaries by $1 per hour.
HUMBOLDT
The Humboldt district is fully staffed with three full-time drivers and two part-time drivers who split a morning and evening route.
The district gave significant pay increases to all staff last year and a modest increase this year, Superintendent Amber Wheeler said. The district studied salaries last year and made changes to be more competitive for all positions, including teachers and classified staff.
On Monday, the board agreed to raise all salaries by 40 cents per hour. The lowest-paid adult starting salary is $12.40 an hour, up from $10 two years ago.
“We are pretty pleased with where we’ve got our salaries right now,” Wheeler said.
The starting salary for bus drivers is $16.40 but most make significantly more than that because of longevity.
