Randolph County Board approves bus-driver recruitment and incentive plan

The Randolph County Board of Education on Feb. 10 approved a multi-part bus driver recruitment and incentive plan aimed at filling dozens of open routes and rewarding current drivers.

The plan, presented by Superintendent Dr. Ganey, combines recruitment, temporary incentives and a salary-schedule adjustment designed to start April 1. "We're gonna put $500 on every bus, every yellow bus," Dr. Ganey told the board, describing an annual incentive he said would be paid as a pro rata share to drivers based on the number of routes they actually drive.

Board members were told the system runs about 48 yellow buses on the road and that the $500-per-bus figure would cost roughly $70,000 annually. The superintendent said a partial-year payment from April 1 through the end of the school year would be smaller (he described it as about $200 per bus for that partial period) and that the district would not make the payments retroactive. He also stressed the program does not apply to activity buses: "None of this has to do with activity buses," he said.

Why it matters: the system has dozens of vacancies and long-running openings for classified positions tied to transportation. The board heard figures such as 37 positions having a bus component open six months or longer; the superintendent offered a high-end example that, if all those vacancies qualified for referral bonuses, the one-time recruitment portion could reach about $18,500 in the scenario he described. The district also faces a cost to reset the salary schedule tied to years of CDL service; that work was estimated at as much as $35,000.

Key elements discussed

- Recruitment: produce a promotional video, place rotating banners at schools, outreach to local employers and military recruiters, and advertise flexible schedules (morning-only, afternoon-only, or both) to attract applicants who cannot commit to a full day. Dr. Ganey said the district plans to try Saturday trainings and other more accessible options for prospective drivers.

- Incentives: the board approved a $500-per-yellow-bus annual pool to be distributed proportionally based on the number of routes each driver actually covered. For the partial 2024–25 year the superintendent said the payment would be reduced (he cited roughly $200 per bus for April 1–end of year). He emphasized the district will record actual routes driven to determine shares and that principals and transportation staff will need new recordkeeping.

- Referral bonuses: the plan includes a referral bonus structure for current drivers or substitutes who recruit someone who remains employed and drives at least 120 student days. The referring employee would receive $250 after the recruit hits 120 student days, with a second $250 if the recruit filled a route that had been vacant six months or longer.

- Salary schedule: the district will also reset the classified salary schedule in August based on years the employee has held a CDL; that reset could cost up to the superintendent's estimate of $35,000.

Public comment and community offers

At public comment before the vote, Jason Palmiter, who identified himself as a community volunteer, urged the board to use community volunteers to support efforts and to advertise for bus drivers. "We've got an army of people out there that are willing to help," Palmiter said, offering to host or organize training times and help recruit applicants.

Vote and implementation

The board voted to "approve the bus driver plan and the expenditures required to complete the plan." The transcript does not record the motion-maker or seconder by name. A roll-call tally was not recorded in the meeting transcript; the vote was announced as "aye" and the motion carried. The superintendent said implementation would be funded primarily from fund balance and/or lapsed salaries as available and that finance staff indicated they could make the partial-year payments starting April 1.

Limitations and clarifications

- Payments are not retroactive. Dr. Ganey clarified that the district will not try to calculate past routes for prior periods.

- Activity buses are excluded. Advertising and incentives apply to yellow (home-to-school) buses only.

- The district will use CDL-year history (years license held) rather than precise historical route counts to place drivers on the salary schedule.

Next steps

The superintendent will move forward with recruitment materials and the described incentive/pay changes. Transportation and finance staff will finalize accounting and recordkeeping procedures to support proportional payments and referral bonuses.