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Board discusses raising starting pay for bus drivers, experience credit for paraprofessionals and a new crossing-guard post
Summary
Board members and staff debated recruitment options, including raising the starting hourly wage for incoming bus drivers from about $15 to $17, applying experience credit for paraprofessionals, and creating a new school crossing guard position to improve safety and recruitment.
A personnel and transportation staffing discussion at the Auburn-Washburn Board of Education on June 11 centered on recruitment and retention strategies for bus drivers and paraprofessionals and a proposed new crossing-guard position.
District staff reported the proposed starting rate for an incoming bus driver for 2025–26 is currently just over $15 an hour; staff and a board subcommittee suggested raising the starting rate to $17 to attract applicants. Staff said they would market any change immediately and could return an action recommendation to the board on June 26. The staff discussion also proposed honoring prior experience for paraprofessionals (paraeducators) so applicants would not be required to restart at the bottom of the pay grid; that change would also apply to current paraprofessionals seeking parity.
Separately, the personnel team presented a draft job description for a new school crossing guard position intended to improve site safety as transportation patterns change. The board gave staff permission to begin promoting the crossing-guard vacancy prior to formal board approval to aid recruitment. Board members requested supporting data on substitute pay and paraprofessional pay history for context before a formal vote.
