At Monday night’s school board work session, Executive Director of Administration and Planning David Graham told school board members that the transportation department is down “25 to 30 bus drivers every day.” He described the double runs that have to be accomplished in order to pick up and drop off the county’s children. “Kids are getting to school late, they are getting home late.” And, he added, “sometimes they’re sitting three to a seat.”
He added, “I listen to the radio every morning and every afternoon. I can hear the stress in their [the drivers’] voices.”
Graham said that some drivers pick up extra shifts every day to try to make up the difference, but it’s a losing proposition. He used the stark reality check to introduce a plan devised by the school division’s human resources department to attract and retain new drivers.
Wages for custodians, bus drivers and bus aides have fallen behind those in some other nearby school divisions, according to an HR department study. The study compared pay scales in Albemarle, Culpeper, Frederick, Loudoun, Prince William, Spotsylvania, Stafford and Warren counties.
Compared to the eight other counties in the study, Fauquier pays its employees 81% of the regional average for bus drivers, 79% for bus aides and 84% for custodians.
Driving a school bus can be intimidating enough for someone who has not driven any vehicle bigger than a pickup truck. Add to that the respons…
The study recommended giving all current bus drivers and bus aides a $3-per-hour raise, along with increasing their minimum pay and providing the opportunity for bus drivers to earn weekly attendance bonuses of up to $50. Graham explained that this would address an absenteeism problem among the bus drivers; absenteeism is at about 10% among drivers.
“If a driver shows up every day of the week, for both of their shifts, they would get an extra $50,” he said. Graham said he had spoken to drivers about the plan and they agreed it would help.
In the compensation plan discussed Monday, the minimum pay for custodians would also be increased, impacting 23 custodian positions.
Altogether, implementing the recommended changes would cost the school division $600,000 per year.
Superintendent David Jeck said that the school division could afford the bump this year, because of carryover funds resulting from CARES Act funding. “But we have to understand that we’d be voting for a raise for this year and next year.” He explained that he didn’t believe it was risky. “Our enrollments are going up, and that means more state funding,” he said.
Fauquier especially lags behind the region’s averages as employees move up on the pay scale, the compensation study found.
A bus driver’s starting pay in Fauquier is currently $16.98 per hour, for instance, a little less than the $18.43 regional average. But Fauquier’s pay scale for drivers is limited to a maximum $26.13 an hour, well under the $33.55 regional average maximum. Bus drivers in neighboring Warren County can make up to $45.88 per hour or $45.06 in Prince William.
The study recommended implementing a $20 minimum hourly wage for bus drivers, which would put Fauquier’s starting pay higher than all but three of the region’s school divisions. Bus aides would start at $15 an hour, up from $11.60 currently.
Pay for custodians in Fauquier falls off even more quickly relative to other counties. Hourly compensation starts at $11.60 in Fauquier, compared to the $13.09 regional average. The pay scale caps out at $17.86 an hour, however, which is less even than the average regional pay scale midpoint, $18.02, and far less than the region’s average maximum pay of $24.17. Custodians can make up to $31.63 an hour in Prince William County.
While the changes recommended in the study would bring all current custodians’ pay up to a minimum of $15 an hour, they would not increase the wages of employees currently making more than that.
School board members had a problem with that part of the plan, expressing the importance of rewarding current employees who already earn more than $15 an hour. “We need to do something for them, too,” said Stephanie Litter Rieber (Lee District).
Janelle Downes, director of HR, said she would work with Denise Sandlin, assistant superintendent for business and planning, to come up with an alternative payment structure that would also compensate those on the custodial staff who are already at or above the minimum pay.
Graham pointed out the importance of custodial services, particularly during the pandemic, but also said, “When custodians don’t show up, the work still gets done, not as perfectly maybe, but it gets done, just like with cafeteria workers. The people that are there make sure everything gets done. But when drivers don’t show up, you see it, you feel it.”
Board member Susan Pauling (Center District) said, “As a parent who drove three kids to three different schools every day last year, I can tell you, I love the bus.”
Duke Bland (Marshall District) added his thanks to the schools’ bus drivers too. “It is such a relief for parents when their kids walk through the door in the afternoon. Our drivers are doing a tremendous job.”
The school board could vote on the compensation plan at the next regular board meeting on Oct. 12; it starts at 6 p.m.
"board" - Google News
September 28, 2021 at 09:19PM
https://ift.tt/3ulsjgb
School board considers raises, bonuses for school bus drivers, aides and custodians - Fauquier Times
"board" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2KWL1EQ
https://ift.tt/2YrjQdq
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "School board considers raises, bonuses for school bus drivers, aides and custodians - Fauquier Times"
Post a Comment