HORRY CO., S.C. (WBTW)- Some Horry County school board members want to increase bus driver pay.
“They are underpaid and they carry our most precious cargo. We need to take care of them to make them feel appreciated for what they do,” said Horry Co. school board member Holly Heniford.
The salary of a bus driver in Horry County starts at $12.40 an hour and maxes out at $16.40 an hour.
“Not only are they managing your child and the going on in the bus they have to manage the highway.” said Heniford
District leaders want highly skilled and highly motivated people to do the job and think a pay increase will help. They also hope it helps fill vacancies. There are currently 374 bus drivers in Horry County and they need 12 more.
Once the school year is over, that number could jump up slightly due to retirements, but it’s an improvement from a year ago when the district was 30 drivers short.
“Tax payers deserve for us to make sure that with our tax dollars that we are hiring the best that we can within the financial reams that we have,” said Heniford.
The school district has to compete with other jobs that require CDL licenses like hotel shuttle services.
“You don’t have to manage those children’s personalities when you’re just driving a commercial vehicle, and we’re asking them to not only drive the vehicle but to take care of our babies,” said Heniford.
The board will discuss how much the pay increase could be on Thursday, May 17th.
They have to make a decision on the budget by June 30th.
