they’re offering $22 to drive buses, but I’d be surprised if drivers qualify for full time and benefits
Ya, this is what I’d be curious to know about. $22/hr is pretty good. But, if that only comes with 4 hours a day, no healthcare, and a split schedule, it’s a lot less attractive. $22/hr at 4 hours per day would be $22,880 per year. And it’s less than that once you figure in holidays and not working much of the summer. So, anyone working as a bus driver is probably also working a second job. Trying to deal with the split schedule is going to make that second job harder, to the point that it makes more sense to try and pickup a full time job at a lower wage. Even making $10/hr at 40 hours per week, you’d make $20,800. That’s probably on par with what a bus driver makes for a year at $22/hr. A full time job also would likely bring with it health insurance.
Unfortunately, the solution is largely going to mean more money. Hiring the drives as full time, with pay equivalent to 8 hour shifts (even if split) and benefits won’t be cheap. And with the training and licensing requirements for bus drivers, the pay needs to be enough above other options available for people. I’d also look for a solution which involves training people and getting them licensed, rather than expecting them to walk in with those on day 1. From a coldly economical point of view, the people you expect to fill this role are not rich and may not have the resources to get trained/licensed as a bus driver on their own. Even if the training is fully paid for, people may not be able to take the time for the training. So, you’d likely need to pay them something, probably a lower wage, while they are a trainee with the expectation that they get the full wage/benefits package once they finish training and take a job with the county. This would come with amortized repayment requirements if they leave before some fixed period (e.g. two years).
There is also the issue of working conditions. I love my kids, I don’t universally love all kids. Some of them are absolute shitheads. And bus drivers have to deal with 20-30 kids while trying to operate a multi-ton machine. And let’s not forget the “fun” of dealing with parents when little Todd gets in trouble for smearing shit on the seat. There needs to be an administrative system supporting the drivers. And many school boards are so gunshy about being sued, that the driver is likely to find themself under the bus they used to drive at the hands of the school board.