MARIETTA — Facing a shortage of more than 200 bus drivers, the Cobb County Board of Education Thursday night unanimously approved raising the minimum bus driver pay to $25 per hour, an increase of $5.25.
Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said the new pay minimum is the highest in metro Atlanta, necessitated by a severe shortage of drivers. The raises will cost the district $7.6 million.
Ragsdale said that after staff reviewed the drivers’ pay, they realized Cobb was not as competitive as it should be. Bus driver pay will now range from $25 to $33.32, depending on salary step.
“I'm not by any stretch of the imagination saying this is the silver bullet, this is going to fix everything,” Ragsdale said at Thursday’s work session. But, he added later, “quite honestly, we're pretty much out of options right now.”
The raise, which amounts to a 26.5% increase, will be reflected in drivers’ paychecks by mid-September.
Bus drivers also received $1,200 bonuses from the district in May. The bonuses did not ease the driver shortage as much as the district had hoped, Ragsdale said.
The district’s 2022-23 budget lists the number of bus driver positions at 859. A 200-driver shortage, then, amounts to vacancy of more than 23%.
More than 70% of Cobb’s 108,000 students ride the bus to school, per Ragsdale, and it’s become harder in recent years to transport students in a timely fashion.
“I greatly appreciate the parents' understanding. And the frustration is growing. And I totally understand that,” Ragsdale said.
Some parents voiced support for the raise during public comment.
“We are one of many families who experienced a double route last year, causing delays in pickup and arrival time to school,” said Alicia Belezza-Watts, speaking in support of the raises. “But we are also one of the many families whose children absolutely love our bus driver.”
Brittany Gurley said that her daughter, a second-grader at a Cobb school, was on a double route last year. This year, the middle school students in her neighborhood are on a double route, and often get dropped off after 6 p.m. She hopes the raises improve recruiting and retention.
“Before long, they're going to be getting home after dark, so it's going to be unsafe,” she told the MDJ.
The raises are not budgeted in this year’s budget, Ragsdale said. However, this year’s revenue from the property tax digest was higher than initially projected by about $7.6 million, and the superintendent saw fit to use those funds to address the bus driver issue.
Asked by board member Jaha Howard what feedback the district was getting from drivers, Ragsdale said they leave for a variety of reasons.
Marc Smith, the district’s chief technology and operations officer, said losing drivers can create a downward spiral.
“It's unfortunate that drivers that we've lost are due to the workload that they're experiencing,” Smith said. “A 200-driver shortage puts an extra burden on those drivers that we do have.”
Ragsdale added that those drivers who stick around are being “worked to death.”
Howard said the board has received emails complaining that drivers work irregular hours, and recommended the district consider more stable schedules.
Board member Randy Scamihorn asked if the district offers signing bonuses. Smith said it did not, but it does offer referral bonuses and bonuses for perfect attendance.
“I want to know why we don't do a signing bonus. I mean, you don't have to give me an answer, now, but I’d like to know,” Scamihorn said.
Scamihorn also suggested that perhaps the attendance bonus shouldn’t only be for drivers who never miss a day.
Also at the meeting, the district played a new promotional video that will be used for recruiting drivers. In it, drivers talk about their love of the job, mentioning not just their benefits package, but the relationships they develop with kids.
“School buses changed my life, this is what I'm called to do,” bus driver Patrick Jarvis said in the video, later adding, “once it gets in your blood, you don’t ever want to leave.”
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