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Terrebonne Parish School District has voted to raise the annual salary for school bus drivers from $19.46 per hour to $26.00 per hour, in the hopes of recruiting more school bus drivers for the district due to a national shortage.
“It’s no secret there’s been a nationwide shortage of school bus drivers. It is not just our district that is struggling to find and keep quality drivers,” explained Leonard Folse, Public Information Director for TPSD. “Superintendent Orgeron and Supervisor of Public Relations Matthew Hodson have been working on a project to get more safe and qualified drivers to come and stay for the long haul, and that started with reevaluating the salary.”
Hodson explained that the project first began by reviewing and comparing school bus driver pay from neighboring districts. “Our research told us that TPSD needed to adjust our pay for school bus drivers if we wanted candidates to come forward for the job,” said Hodson. “We found a number that the district could afford and got approved by the school board, and now bus drivers in our school district make a minimum salary of $28,080 yearly, which is a huge improvement.” Hodson continued that another part of the problem was that long term drivers were not being compensated for their loyalty to the school district. “Drivers who had been with us for decades saw maybe a $40 increase in their salary,” said Hodson. “Now, we have created a range of a $6,000 salary increase in between Year 0 and Year 30 of your career with us. That is a significant change, with the earning potential up to $34,080 yearly.” These salary changes have already gone into effect.
Not only will bus drivers now receive a higher hourly pay and longevity increments, but they are also provided with paid training ($100 per day), included health insurance, provided/paid for CDL certification courses, fully air conditioned busses, and the potential to earn extra money on school trips. “We have been losing good drivers to neighboring districts and other companies for too long now,” said Hodson. “We hope this salary change encourages applicants to come work for us.”
If you are interested in applying to become a bus driver for Terrebonne Parish School District, please click here.
