Chandler Unified launches $600,000 pilot to shore up bus driver workforce with stipends, PTO payout options

Chandler Unified trustees unanimously approved a pilot program on March 26 to address a local and national school bus driver shortage by paying targeted stipends and allowing limited PTO payouts for transportation staff.

District presenters told the board the pilot will use one-time funds from the unreserved fund balance and is intended to incent current drivers to keep working combined or hard-to-fill routes and to attract new hires. Administrators estimated the program will cost about $600,000 in total — roughly $300,000 in the current fiscal year and $300,000 in the next fiscal year if sustained.

Key elements approved

- Combined-route stipends: Back pay for roughly 60 drivers who have covered combined routes during the current year and a $500 stipend for qualifying drivers for the fourth quarter; in the next fiscal year qualifying drivers would be eligible for $500 per quarter if they cover combined routes (up to $2,000 annually). - Hard-to-fill route stipend: For a small set of routes identified as difficult to staff (about five routes), a $500 stipend for the current quarter and up to $500 per quarter next fiscal year (up to $2,000 annually) for drivers who take those routes. - PTO payout pilot: Allow drivers to receive payment for requested PTO that would otherwise be banked when a driver exceeds their FTE because they worked additional hours (pilot limited to transportation department). - One-time crisis retention stipend: A one-time $1,000 retention stipend for continuing drivers (paid $500 in June and $500 in August if the driver returns in August), modeled to match recruitment incentives already used for new hires.

District staff said drivers currently average about $22.19 per hour with a typical seven-hour day and a contract that covers 196 days; with the pilot stipends included, the district estimated average hourly compensation would effectively increase to around $24 per hour on average, with higher effective hourly rates for drivers who pick up combined or hard-to-fill routes.

Board reaction and vote

Board members thanked transportation leaders for convening an advisory group that included current drivers and for targeting compensation as an actionable item. Trustee Michael Morris noted the district currently has about 62 active drivers and roughly 14 people in CDL training. Trustee Michael Heap moved to approve the pilot; Trustee Kurt Rohrs seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Why it matters: Transportation shortages disrupt student access to school; the pilot aims to stabilize routes for the remainder of this school year and into 2025–26 while district leaders track whether the incentives improve retention and recruitment.

Implementation and oversight

District staff said the pilot begins immediately (presenters stated an effective date of March 27) and will run through the end of the fiscal year and into the next fiscal year for evaluation. If successful, stipend items may be incorporated into the annual budget process for 2025–26. The administration identified the transportation department and labor representatives as implementation leads.

Provenance: The transportation pilot program was discussed in the action-item portion of the March 26 board meeting, with the presentation beginning at roughly 1 hour, 8 minutes into the meeting and the board vote recorded later in the agenda.