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Framingham to bring student busing in-house; district posts driver and monitor jobs with $35/hr pay and sign-on bonus
Summary
Lincoln Lynch told the School Committee the district will lease buses and hire drivers and monitors as city employees starting July 1; postings list $35 an hour for drivers, $22 for monitors and a $1,000 sign-on bonus. The district reported 14 driver and 7 monitor applications four days after posting.
The Framingham School Committee heard an update on Wednesday, Feb. 5, that the district will move student busing in-house starting July 1 and has posted job openings for bus drivers and monitors.
Lincoln Lynch, executive director of finance and operations, said the district will lease buses and hire drivers and monitors as school department employees. Lynch said the district will continue to partner with NRT for buses only; drivers and monitors will be district employees. The posted pay rate for drivers is $35 an hour with a $1,000 sign-on bonus; monitors are posted at $22 an hour. Lynch said the district will cover the cost of CDL training and that a trainer will be hired to help applicants obtain licenses.
Lynch described a range of schedules, from 20 to 35 hours per week, and additional opportunities for field trips, athletics and summer work. He reported that four days after the job postings went live (posted Feb. 1), the district had received 14 completed applications for drivers and seven for monitors.
Committee members asked about incentives and retention. Adam Freudberg asked about recruitment incentives, and Lynch said the district plans a $25-per-day attendance incentive modeled on another district's approach; he also cited an existing staff referral bonus that has generated candidates. Lynch reiterated that the district will pay for CDL training and encouraged applicants without licenses to apply.
No formal committee vote was required for the report; the update was presented as an operational plan and recruitment progress report. Lynch said the district will continue to refresh job postings until vacancies are filled and will provide updates at future meetings.
Why it matters: Bringing busing in-house shifts hiring, workforce management and some operational responsibilities to the school department and city payroll, and is intended to improve reliability and local control of student transportation.
