College Community School District increases starting bus driver pay rate

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - The College Community School District is raising its starting pay rate for bus drivers by $2 from $21 to $23 an hour in its latest effort to recruit and retain employees.

In a press release, the district said the move comes in addition to a $500 sign-on bonus for new hires, and is in response to the national bus driver shortage.

“While a Class B CDL license is required to drive a school bus, this license is not required to apply to College Community,” district leaders said in a press release. “New hires are compensated for completing on-the-job training and are reimbursed for half of the cost of the license. Additionally, College Community covers the cost for the Department of Transportation (DOT) physical, pre-employment drug screen and all other certification expenses. Bus drivers enjoy a flexible schedule with part-time hours, paid holidays, summers off and eligibility for benefits.”

The district is also offering incentives to current employees for recruiting new employees. If a current College Community employee recruits a new staff member for the Transportation Department, they will receive $250. If the recruitment happens after 60 or 90 days, the employee will receive a $100 recruitment bonus.

“As we emerge from the pandemic, the challenges of staffing are impacting all sectors of our economy. Schools are also experiencing this unprecedented staffing challenge, which has been well documented in local and national media. While College Community and Iowa, in general, tend to be experiencing fewer challenges than other states, we have not been immune to the impacts of staffing shortages, especially in the area of transportation,” College Community School District Superintendent Douglas Wheeler said.

The pay rate increase is the district’s third bus driver salary increase in the last four years. Other recruitment and retention efforts include increased benefit eligibility and an additional paid holiday.