Residents, staff urge board to address teacher, bus driver and school-staff shortages and pay

Multiple members of the public and district employees used the School Board of Lee County’s Sept. 9 action meeting to call attention to teacher and support-staff shortages, low pay and transportation problems that they said are disrupting classrooms and student services.

Speakers said the shortages affect classroom coverage, special-education support and bus service, and they tied staffing pressures to stagnant average teacher pay and difficult working conditions. “That’s down $9,000,” public commenter Robert Daniels said of the district’s average teacher pay compared with 15 years ago, citing district figures for teacher counts and pay trends. Anthony Call, who told the board he drives special‑needs routes, described daily 9½‑hour shifts, crowded routes and a shortage of drivers that he said forces private vans to fill gaps.

The speakers’ concerns came during the public‑comment period, when 15 people were scheduled to address the board. They included…