HOULTON, Maine — A bus driver shortage has prompted the Houlton school board to increase pay as a way to retain its current staff and perhaps entice new applicants.
The new bus driver/custodian contract will see those employees getting a 10 percent bump in pay for the current school year (2022-23) and again next year (2023-24).
School districts across Maine are dealing with bus driver shortages and employee retention, and Houlton officials hope these salary changes will give them an advantage in the competitive job market.
As part of the approved salary increases, bus drivers will see their hourly rate jump from $18 to $19.80 for the current school year, and to $21.78 an hour for the 2023-24 school year. Bus drivers average 20 hours per week but can supplement that time by transporting athletic teams to sporting events.
“There was a willingness [by the district] to open the contract to support the bus drivers,” said Richard Lyons, superintendent of Regional School Unit 29 in Houlton. “I did a comparison [of what other school districts pay their drivers] countywide and will say that we are in a very positive position.”
In comparison, Regional School Unit 39 (Caribou and Stockholm) pays its bus drivers $16.80 per hour, while School Administrative District 20 (Fort Fairfield) is at $17.77 per hour, according to Superintendent Tim Doak. School Administrative District 1 (Presque Isle) pays its drivers $19.66 per hour, Superintendent Ben Greenlaw said.
The revised pay rate is an enticement for new bus drivers and also an appreciation of the district’s staff, Lyons said. The district is gaining ground in its efforts to recruit new drivers to fill vacancies.
There are just eight bus drivers on staff, instead of the normal 12 if all positions were filled, according to Joe Fagnant, director of operations for the Houlton district. The district uses one substitute driver full time because of the shortage, and another is on call. Director of Transportation Fred Casillas also fills in regularly.
The district has two people in the training program, but it takes time to get them through it with the new federal regulations that require 40 hours of classroom and road training, then a written test and two weeks later, a road test, Fagnant said.
More substitute drivers are needed as well, he said.
“We have drivers that are out on medical leave or sickness, and no one to replace that run,” he said. “When sports teams go on trips, we also need drivers to assist in covering after-school runs. We have had some double runs in the morning, and have also shifted students to different buses in the afternoon if we are short staffed.”
A rise in the number of students opting for bus transportation has exacerbated the issue because fewer parents are driving their kids to school as they did during the pandemic.
“We are maxed out with occupancy,” Fagnant said. “We are now seeing more ridership on fewer buses. We try not to impact the school day, but we do have an emergency plan in place to dismiss some students early in order to get them home, so we can go pick up more students.”
On at least one occasion this year, Houlton was forced into an early dismissal when one of its drivers tested positive for COVID-19. The loss of that driver, on staff already stretched thin because of other vacancies, made it difficult to get students home in a timely manner. The early dismissal allowed for the remaining bus drivers to make extra runs in order to get all of the children to their destinations.
Fagnant said the lack of drivers has had a minimal effect on fall sports, with only a handful of games needing to be moved around or delayed until drivers were available.
“We try to avoid canceling games,” he said.
Custodians will also see a 25-cent-per-hour bump in their pay this year and next school year. The starting rate for custodians at step 0 on the scale is $13.93. That wage will be increased to $14.18 for the current school year and $14.58 for the 2023-23 school year.
