Battle for bus drivers continues as Henrico Schools raises pay

In the latest move in the battle between regional school divisions to hire bus drivers, Henrico County Public Schools announced a 15% pay increase for its lowest-paid drivers on Wednesday.

Starting pay for drivers with no experience is now $17.15 an hour compared with the old rate of $14.91 an hour, bringing HCPS closer to matching the pay rates of neighboring divisions, which all are vying for the same pool of candidates. Drivers who already make $17.15 will receive a 2.37% pay increase.

Chesterfield County Public Schools announced a pay raise on Monday that brings starting pay for new drivers to $20.21 an hour.

At last week’s Henrico County School Board meeting, HCPS Transportation Director Jim Ellis announced new hiring bonuses for drivers ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 depending on credentials. Chesterfield County Public Schools transportation employees who hold a commercial driver’s license are eligible for a $3,000 bonus.

The school division anticipates being able to fund the adjustments and bonuses using its existing pupil transportation budget, due in part to funded positions that will remain vacant during the year, according to HCPS spokesman Andy Jenks.

There are more than 100 driver vacancies at HCPS, although there are about 45 applicants in the pipeline.

Chesterfield has roughly the same amount of bus driver vacancies, and its Superintendent Merv Daugherty urged parents to drive their children to school because of a lack of bus drivers.

Henrico bus drivers, along with other HCPS employees, recently received a two-step pay increase.

“This additional pay is even more extraordinary when considering that more than a third of our current bus drivers are also due to receive longevity increases in their Dec. 15 paychecks, indicative of their loyalty to Henrico County and our schools,” said HCPS Superintendent Amy Cashwell in a prepared statement.

Applicants can apply online at https://henricoschools.us/careers/.