STILLWATER PUBLIC SCHOOLS RAISE BUS DRIVER PAY 34% TO ATTRACT DRIVERS
Ch 9 - August 28, 2023 6:45 am
STILLWATER, Okla. –
Many Oklahoma schools are struggling to find bus drivers, Stillwater Public Schools is no exception.
“Well, today, we had four routes canceled,” said Barry Fuxa, spokesperson for Stillwater Public Schools. “Something we’ve all taken for granted for years is, you know, the bus driver.”
Fuxa echoed a problem facing school districts across Oklahoma, and the country.
“You know it’s a challenge for us,” Fuxa said. “They pulled my Oklahoma-boy quote in the New York Times. They said, ‘trapping into a dry well.’”
Fuxa says they are growing desperate.
“We actually spoke to our coaches today; get them to where they can drive,” Fuxa said.
The transportation directors, who normally answer the phone lines and communicate with drivers and parents, were not at the office because they had to drive buses too.
“That’s why you’re talking to me and not them,” Fuxa said.
Fuxa said entry-level drivers’ pay will jump from $12.38 to $16.57 per hour.
“It’s almost a 34 percent increase in pay for our starting drivers,” Fuxa said.
The district would like to pay more, but bus drivers are part-time and there’s a lot more competition for CDL-licensed drivers.
“But I don’t know if that would even solve the problem,” Fuxa said. “How we fill these roles; I just don’t know.”
Fuxa sees this job as a service, with an impact that lasts a lifetime.
“I remember Mr. Dempsey. He was my bus driver for almost my entire life experience,” Fuxa said. He wore a driving cap and every day he had a little smirky smile as you walked on the bus and that was amazing.”
Fuxa reflects on whether he might have to practice what he preaches to prevent a child’s school experience from coming to a stop.
“Maybe I need to become a driver,” Fuxa said. “I don’t want the band to miss out on a competition because there aren’t enough drivers.”
Fuxa said the district is working to hire ten additional drivers for their transportation team.
To apply to be a Stillwater Public School bus driver, click here.
