Before this summer, the Greenwood Schools transportation director had to go back nearly a decade to remember the last time he had enough bus drivers.
Mike Hildebrand started out last year with five open routes, which required double-busing. With double-busing, a driver had to pick up a busload of kids, drop them off, and then pick up another busload. In order to accommodate the doubling of routes, elementary school schedules had to be shifted 15 minutes later, some students got to school 20 to 30 minutes early and other students had to wait 20 to 30 minutes after school for a bus to make its return trip after dropping other students off at home, Hildebrand said.
As a new year at Greenwood Schools approaches, Hildebrand isn’t forced to make those decisions. With 28 full-time drivers, the transportation department is fully-staffed, meaning the days of double-busing, schedule changes, early drop-offs and late pick-ups are behind him, at least for now.
Hildebrand attributes the uptick in drivers to wage increases. Last year, school officials increased bus driver pay from $98 to $137.70 a day for between four and 4 ½ hours of work. After that, not only did bus drivers stop leaving as quickly, but new drivers came on board, he said.
“This is my 10th year. The first couple of years we were fully staffed and our median age was probably 65. We had a lot of retirees and difficulty filling spots, and people left to go to higher-paying schools,” Hildebrand said. “This is a huge stress relief. When you have all your subs driving and someone calls in sick, you don’t have anyone to fill that route and you have to change routes. This has eliminated that factor.”
Franklin Schools officials still need to fill three of the district’s 56 driving positions, and have just four or five substitute drivers to rely on, said Doug Dickenson, transportation director.
The department was fully-staffed last semester but lost six drivers to retirement during the 2022-23 school year, and has since filled half of those vacancies. Franklin Schools pays drivers who have less than 10 years of experience $27 an hour, and pays drivers with at least a decade of experience $31 an hour. Despite offering incentives, including a $500 signing bonus for drivers who already have their commercial driver’s license, it’s generally difficult to find drivers to take the place of people who have left, Dickenson said.
“There’s just no one looking to become a school bus driver. We’re still dealing with the same issues we have been for several years. Whenever jobs are plentiful, being a school bus driver is not the first option,” he said.
When the department doesn’t have enough drivers during the school year, it will typically use the double-busing system, and students are either 15 to 20 minutes late to school or getting home, he said.
Clark-Pleasant, Center Grove, Edinburgh and Indian Creek schools’ transportation departments are all fully staffed to start the year.
Center Grove Schools has the largest student population of any school district in Johnson County with more than 9,000 students. It also requires the most drivers to service its routes and is fully staffed with 74 full-time drivers and 14 substitutes. The school district pays drivers a starting wage of $28.57 an hour, with pay increasing with experience. The pay, along with a $1,000 signing bonus for drivers with a commercial driver’s license and a $500 signing bonus for drivers who still need training, has boosted the school district in the eyes of prospective employees, transportation director Sarah Pitts said in an email.
“More importantly, we want to keep the drivers we have. We have offered an option for drivers that need insurance to combine a bus driver position and a food service position to allow them to qualify for health insurance,” Pitts said. “The importance of culture at Center Grove cannot be overstated. Bus drivers feel they are an integral part of Center Grove. Education starts and ends with transportation, and we value our bus drivers to provide that service for our students.”
Clark-Pleasant Schools are close behind with 65 route drivers and no job vacancies to start the year. The school district pays a starting wage of $27.24 an hour, and pays drivers $36.40 an hour once they reach 16 years of experience, said Michael Akers, transportation director.
Akers gives out business cards at orientations and open houses that include QR codes for bus driver applications, gathering interest from potential candidates. Recruitment, competitive pay, and the ability to work part-time can be appealing for many job seekers, Akers said.
“I think people appreciate the job. It pays well, it’s a great part-time job and it fits in families’ schedules; you’re home when they’re home. We have benefits offered, you can make $26,000 or $27,000 a year and work 180 days and five hours a day,” he said. “We have a number of new drivers coming in, raising families. A lot of drivers and staff have kids who go to school here. They want to make sure their kids do well so they work here. We have a lot of really involved young families who want to be employees here.”
Indian Creek has full staffing with 28 drivers, at a pay range of $103 to $110 per day. Edinburgh Community School Corporation also has full staffing, with a rate of $95 to $103 per day, but district leaders are always looking to hire drivers, superintendent Ron Ross said in an email.
