Facing continuing bus driver shortage, Henry County looks to boost pay

The next fiscal year will determine if a proposed pay raise and other incentives put in place by Henry County Public Schools will be enough to meet the county’s need for bus drivers.

Henry County currently has a shortage of 12 drivers and is bridging the gap with substitutes and transportation department personnel. The school division has tried to deal with the shortage through pay raises and incentives, and in the 2024-2025 fiscal year, it plans to enact a 5% raise for drivers, pending approval by the board of supervisors.

The problem isn’t unique to Henry County, according to data collected by the Virginia Department of Education. A 2023 survey found that 46 out of 95 counties and 38 independent cities had a shortage of three or more qualified drivers.

Currently, Henry County’s driving staff consists of 100 contracted drivers and an additional eight substitute drivers who drive routes every school day. Each driver picks up around 45 students each day on several runs, which may include elementary, middle and high school students.

Some drivers provide the school system with specialized services, such as Vivian Callaway, who transports special needs students.

“I enjoy it, it’s fun, I enjoy my kids,” Callaway said. “It’s a good job to have.”

For the past 29 years Callaway has worked as a driver and, in recent years, has noticed the reduction in staffing. She believes the pandemic was a catalyst.

“It’s a nationwide issue. The pandemic has had an effect with people willing to come back to work,” she said.

The school system echoed Callaway when addressing the matter with county officials during a Feb. 27 meeting. But Ben Boone, the division’s assistant superintendent of operations, said that while the issue was exacerbated by the pandemic, it was first noticed years earlier.

Efforts to counteract the dwindling numbers started in earnest in 2021. The school division started an incentive program through which drivers can earn an additional $250 for every driver they refer who remains employed for 60 days. New drivers who work for 60 days are also eligible for the $250 stipend.

Other incentives include retention bonuses for drivers and staff, and covering the costs for all training required for commercial driver’s license certification. Henry County Public Schools also participates in job fairs to attract new drivers.

The incentives have been hit-or-miss, with Callaway speculating that the job itself might be intimidating.

“Some of my students require special assistance getting on and off the bus,” Callaway said. “We pick up where the parents leave off providing love and support. I greet my students every day with a smile to start their day and end their day with a smile when they are getting off the bus.”

Increasing pay is one way the school system has tried to retain drivers. In the past 15 years, only the 2010-2011 and 2014-2015 fiscal years didn’t include a pay raise for drivers.

As with teachers, pay is based on a schedule that increases for every year served. Part-time drivers start at $21,212 annually and receive Virginia retirement benefits. Full-time drivers start at $29,563, with retirement benefits and health insurance.

If approved, the coming year’s 5% pay raise will be part of a funding package that will see the cost of transportation increase relative to the current fiscal year. Pupil transportation costs in the current fiscal year totals almost $8 million, while the next fiscal year’s projected cost is $8.7 million.

Much of the projected spending is earmarked for maintaining the fleet of buses, while the pay increase and cost for additional drivers is expected to total $267,301 in the upcoming fiscal year.

For now, Henry County is keeping transportation in-house and doesn’t have any plans to hire a third-party company to fill the gap as some school divisions, such as Roanoke, have done.

Applications to become a bus driver can be submitted online . Applicants must have a good driving record. A criminal background check and drug screen are required.

Boone said drivers have a significant impact on how students begin and end each day.

“Our drivers not only transport our children safely, they offer a kind and smiling face each morning and afternoon,” he said. “They are greatly valued and appreciated, and we are very lucky to have the wonderful group of drivers that we have in Henry County.”

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