Olympia school bus drivers want more pay

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School bus drivers who attended the Olympia School Board meeting Feb. 25 asked the school district to increase their salaries.

Bus driver Lisa Hall explained that they work from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m, but are only guaranteed pay for four and a half hours of their 11 working hours, with their monthly take home pay amounting to around $1,200.

“Could any of you live on $1,200 a month?” Hall asked the board. “These are poverty wages. It feels like a district undervalues our contribution.”

Another driver, Kurt Rader, stated at the beginning of his speech that he drives school buses because he enjoys it and already has a comfortable life without depending on his driver’s wages, but added that while $20 an hour may seem enough, deductions will result in a total of $13 per hour, suggesting that school bus driver job openings posted as hobbies or side jobs is “ingenuous.”

“If you’re hiring somebody and leading them to make this job a career, that’s not right,” Rader commented.

John Smith made comparisons of drivers’ wages in other companies; saying Amazon pays $25, Uber $27, Omaze Garbage $35, and UPS $35, adding that hazmat (hazardous materials) drivers’ annual pay is $200,000.

“We're supposed to be carrying the most precious cargo on the planet,” Smith pointed out, “but the garbage man makes more.”

Rebecca Cornelius, a concerned citizen, mentioned that bus drivers are required medical certification such as CPR and first aid training which must be renewed regularly, but are not paid the same as other jobs that have these credentials, also pointing out the stress of driving a 40-ft. vehicle while monitoring as much as 83 student passengers.

“Why would a driver want to start or stay with Olympia school district when they can go to a neighboring district and get paid upwards of $2 or more an hour,” Cornelius asked.

Lindsey Stephens said she became a bus driver because of her training from her developmental psychology degree, with the bus being an extension of the learning experience and an aspect of the holistic approach to education, but driving buses is not a viable way to make a living.

“I’m looking to build a family, I’m looking to build wealth. But that’s just proven to be impossible,” Stephens remarked.

“I'm really worried going in next school year. We may not have divers to start a school year,” Cornelius added.

Superintendent Patrick Murphy acknowledged the drivers’ concerns, saying that he is grateful for the bus drivers and the School District Transportation Department, explaining that the Olympia School District is at an disadvantage in terms of revenue because of regionalization.

“We'll commit to the bargaining process with our teamsters and partners in this whole process,” Murphy said.

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