Barnstable, Aug. 20, 2025 — The School Committee unanimously approved a hiring incentive package on Wednesday to recruit school bus drivers, offering staged sign‑on bonuses and paid training to address staffing shortages.

Under the approved plan, new non‑CDL candidates will be eligible for a $1,500 sign‑on bonus: $500 upon obtaining a school‑bus license and $1,000 after six months of continuous employment in good standing. Candidates already holding a commercial driver’s license (CDL) will be eligible for a $2,000 sign‑on bonus, with $500 paid upon licensing and $1,500 after six months. Trainees who cannot serve as monitored bus assistants during training will receive paid training hours at the monitor pay rate.

“We are short staffed in terms of bus drivers, we want to extend an incentive for new candidates,” said Superintendent Dr. Sarah Hearn when introducing the proposal. The proposal—originating with transportation and HR leadership—has been used as a limited recruitment incentive in prior months and the committee approved an extension to broaden hiring efforts.

Why it matters: Bus driver shortages can disrupt routes and school start times. The incentives are intended to accelerate hiring and license attainment and to make driver positions more competitive in a tight labor market.

Next steps: District human resources and transportation staff will implement the incentive and report back on hiring outcomes.