The Warren County Public Schools Transportation Department is hosting a recruitment fair for bus drivers and monitors ahead of the new school year. The school system will be holding an employment fair for bus drivers and monitors on Saturday, July 13, from 8 - 11 a.m. at the Warren County Public School Transportation Department headquarters on 800 Brookwood Drive in Bowling Green.
Starting pay for bus drivers will be $20 an hour and bus monitors will start at $15 an hour with incentives. Applicants with Commercial Drivers Licenses will also be eligible for signing bonuses. Transportation officials encourage anyone interested to apply regardless of experience.
Chip Jenkins, director of transportation for the school system, said bus drivers and monitors are vital positions within the school district.
“It makes all the difference in the outlook of the students,” Jenkins said. “The drivers have a tremendous impact on students, because they are the first ones they see and the last ones off and they see exactly where they’re coming from, from a home environment.”
Interested applicants will be able to test drive school buses and community members are invited to attend to meet WCPS transportation staff. According to Jenkins, the department is encouraged by the amount of interest the positions have attracted so far.
“We’re even training right now,” he added. “We’re certifying people all summer long, but hopefully when we start up for school we will be able to have most of our positions filled, maybe not all. But we’ll be able to start out at a little bit of a better position than last year.”
School districts across Kentucky have seen a shortage of staff including teachers, bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria staff and substitute teachers, due to lack of competitive wages. Earlier this year, the Kentucky legislature approved modest increases to the state’s overall education spending, something they said would allow districts to fund pay increases for their employees, but education leaders in districts across the state have lobbied for more support from lawmakers in an effort to attract and retain workers.
