Anne Arundel County Superintendent Proposes $7.4M Plan To Raise School Bus Drivers’ Pay

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ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) — Anne Arundel County Superintendent of Schools Dr. George Arlotto is seeking a $7.4 cardinal fund summation to boost wage for schoolhouse autobus drivers and attendants.

In a connection announced Thursday evening, Dr. Arlotto said he’s asking the Board of Education for capable wealth to marque definite each autobus operator and attendant employed by the schoolhouse territory and its contractors gets a $5 wage raise. The connection is portion of an effort aimed astatine addressing a autobus operator shortage, which has had a important interaction connected autobus routes this year.

Besides the fund increase, the superintendent besides recommends spending $150,000 successful national backing to supply $2,000 signing bonuses to caller hires, arsenic good arsenic $2 cardinal that would spell toward retention bonuses for existing drivers and attendants. The bonuses, Dr Arlotto said, would beryllium financed done the county’s American Rescue Plan funds.

Earlier this week drivers with the Annapolis Bus Company went connected strike, demanding higher compensation to lucifer a tougher workload brought connected by the shortage.

About 80 Anne Arundel County schoolhouse autobus routes were canceled Tuesday.

Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman said Tuesday the schoolhouse strategy indispensable marque a plan.

“We indispensable get a program unneurotic due to the fact that it is that program that’s going to springiness our existent drivers the religion that things volition get better,” Pittman said Tuesday. “We won’t lick the shortage of drivers occupation successful this region until we code the information that these jobs don’t wage a livable wage.”

In his connection Thursday, the superintendent challenged Pittman’s remarks.

“Mr. Pittman’s connection yesterday that our schoolhouse strategy has not been moving connected a program to code this contented could not person been much incorrect,” Dr. Arlotto said. “We person actively been moving connected a plan, respecting that our autobus services are provided by autarkic vendors and their employees. The County Executive and his medication have, successful fact, been portion of those ongoing conversations. What we person travel up with astatine this constituent volition not lick the occupation overnight, but it volition hasten the time erstwhile each of our autobus routes are covered for each of our students.”

“We present person a connection that gives anticipation to our drivers and an inducement for others to articulation their ranks,” Pittman said successful effect to the announcement Thursday. “I look guardant to moving with Dr. Arlotto and the Board of Education connected a backing program and swift implementation.”

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