Henrico Schools implements immediate pay increase for bus drivers

Starting March 1, all Henrico Schools bus drivers will now be paid a minimum $22.98 hourly rate – a 20% increase from the previous starting rate of $19.05 per hour.

The Henrico School Board approved an almost $4 hourly pay raise for bus drivers on Feb. 22, which it fast-tracked to take effect Friday. All bus drivers will see a pay increase between 12.44% and 20.63% depending upon their current hourly rate.

“Bus drivers not only ensure students’ safe transportation to and from school, they welcome students to each new school day, lend an understanding ear and serve as an important link between families and schools,” an HCPS press release read. “The division will recognize and reward its drivers’ dedication with a significant pay boost.”

HCPS leaders hope the extra compensation will help the division fill vacant bus driver positions, boosting staff recruitment and retention. School board members have advocated for increased pay for bus drivers not only for the 2025 Fiscal Year budget, but also for the current budget, according to HCPS Chief Financial Officer John Wack.

“You have specifically stressed the need for immediate action to address bus driver pay and recruitment,” Wack said at the Feb. 22 school board meeting. “Knowing the ongoing adverse impact to instruction caused by the persistent driver shortage, staff revisited the budget proposal and we’ve worked with the county manager to ensure a compensation adjustment for drivers.”

The school board passed the $852 million budget proposal for FY2025 on Feb. 22. School board members said they would work with Henrico County Manager John Vithoulkas to ensure that bus driver pay and staffing are prioritized for the FY2025 budget, which the Henrico Board of Supervisors will have to approve before it is sent back to the school board.

HCPS currently employs 413 full-time bus drivers transporting more than 28,000 students to and from school every day. The division needs to hire 60 more drivers to cover existing bus routes and provide enough staffing to cover daily driver absences due to illness, medical leave, or other time off, according to HCPS Communications Director Eileen Cox.

More drivers also are needed to eliminate double runs – when bus drivers take one load of students to or from school, then circle back to pick up another load – that cause students to be late to class every day. The division has struggled with the impact of scheduled late buses throughout the school year, according to school board member Kristi Kinsella (Brookland District), who hopes that increasing driver pay will lead to more drivers being hired, which will prevent students from missing class.

“I know families in my district specifically have advocated really since September about the vacancies and how it was a real barrier for their children to instruction, especially at the middle school and high school levels,” Kinsella said. “I’m just so thrilled that we could come to an understanding and fix transportation across Henrico.”

Since the start of the 2023-2024 school year, HCPS has hired 41 additional bus drivers, according to Cox.

Other nearby school systems have similarly boosted bus driver pay. Hanover County Public Schools recently approved a $23 hourly minimum rate for bus drivers in their 2025 budget proposal and Richmond Public Schools implemented a $23-per-hour starting salary in 2022.

Henrico Schools bus drivers would be eligible for another potential raise in July, along with all other HCPS employees, when potential annual pay raises for county employees would go into effect for FY2025. School board members said they are prioritizing pay raises for all staff, which will be discussed later in the budget process this spring.

“I can’t wait to lead the way in the region when we announce raises for our employees,” Kinsella said.

Last year, the school board and board of supervisors approved a historic 8.2% pay raise for HCPS employees, the largest raise in more than 30 years.

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Liana Hardy is the Citizen’s Report for America Corps member and education reporter. Her position is dependent upon reader support; make a tax-deductible contribution to the Citizen through RFA here.