School bus drivers working in Portland Public Schools will see their wages increase by $3 to $6 an hour, in the district’s latest attempt to incentivize new hires as staffing shortages continue to cause delays and route cancellations.
“The shortage has significantly impacted our ability to get our kids to and from school,” Sharon Reese, the district’s chief human resources officer, said via email.
During negotiations, the district agreed to salary changes for drivers employed by the district, who drive routes for special education students, and those contracted through First Student, who drive larger yellow buses for elementary and middle school students.
“The wage increase for both PPS and First Student is to make the job more attractive to recruit interested drivers to drive for us, as well as to retain our drivers who we appreciate for their service to our PPS families,” a district spokesperson said.
As of this week, all employees contracted through First Student will see a pay jump of $6 an hour, which is estimated to cost the district around $1.3 million this school year.
Drivers employed directly by the district will see their wages increase by $3 an hour, which will cost the district an estimated $417,000.
The discrepancy in pay raises is due to the more generous benefits for district employed drivers, according to district officials.
District employed drivers will now start at $22.64 an hour, while the four most veteran drivers will begin receiving $31.58 an hour starting Monday, school officials told The Oregonian/OregonLive.
During Tuesday’s school board meeting, union members expressed gratitude for the salary change.
Since the start of the school year, Portland has suffered from a nationwide severe bus driver shortage, with parents and students experiencing daily delays and cancellations. The shortage is so severe that 13 routes have been cancelled indefinitely, leading the district to offer families directly impacted $300 a month to help alleviate transportation costs.
As of Wednesday, the district remained short three drivers, while First Student needs another 15 drivers to cover existing routes, officials said.
