Cannon County board approves one-year contract for contracted bus drivers with 3% raise after debate

At its July 10, 2025 meeting, the Cannon County Board of Education approved a one-year contract for contracted bus drivers with a 3% pay increase for the 2025–26 school year.

Board members spent more than an hour debating whether to renew, how long a new agreement should run and whether the district should phase out contracted drivers. One trustee said the one-year option would give the board time to review longer-term plans. "I'd like to offer a 1 year contract for contracted bus drivers so that way in the next year we're looking to phase out contracted bus drivers," said an initiating board member during the discussion.

Opponents raised budget and equity concerns, noting that teachers and in-house drivers had not received comparable raises. "Our own bus drivers didn't even get a raise. Our teachers didn't get a raise," said another board member, who pressed for clearer budget accounting and recommended deeper discussion at a workshop before a multi‑year commitment.

After discussion, a motion to approve a one-year contract at a 3% increase carried on a roll call. The motion was moved and seconded on the record; the clerk called the roll and recorded ayes and nays before the board adopted the 1‑year, 3% contract for the 2025–26 school year.

The board did not provide a contract amount total in the meeting record; members requested that the topic be discussed further in a workshop to clarify budget implications and future staffing plans.

The board's approval will keep contracted drivers on a one‑year renewal cycle while the district considers longer-term options.