Bus drivers and substitutes press Nash County school board for raises as district details pay and budget trade-offs

Nash County Public Schools board members heard multiple public comments pressing for pay increases for bus drivers, monitors and substitute drivers, and a staff presentation that laid out current pay ranges, how state rules affect step credit and how much the district’s transportation allotment is consumed by salaries.

Thelma Harris opened public comment by asking board members to press county commissioners for more school funding. Alicia Haman, who identified herself as a bus driver, said she has driven for Nash County Schools for 27 years and criticized pay compression: “It is very disheartening that someone with 0 experience is making just a few dollars less than me. That's not fair,” she said. Matthew Hunter, also identified as a bus driver, asked, “why come the drivers that's coming in with no experience can make just as much as drivers with experience?” William Booze, identified as a substitute bus driver, and other speakers urged the board to include…