Bus drivers, substitutes, custodians needed
The Gilmer County School System is looking to hire.
Labor shortages around the country have been common during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Gilmer County is no exception. Gilmer Schools are in need of substitute teachers, custodians and bus drivers, according to superintendent Dr. Brian Ridley.
To help combat the issue, the Gilmer County Board of Education unanimously passed a motion to raise the hourly pay of all classified employees to $12. Classified employees are those who hold nonteaching positions that do not require a teaching and/or administrative credential.
Gilmer chief financial officer Trina Penland noted the pay increase has been estimated at a cost of $306K per year to the system.
“This will be a temporary retention bonus and will be paid for out of Cares Act III money,” Ridley said. “It will not come from the general fund or local tax dollars. It gives us two years to revamp our classified pay schedule so we’re competitive with our local businesses.”
Ridley hopes the pay increase will offer more stability to those seeking employment.
“We wanted to raise our minimum pay to $12 per hour so we could be more competitive with a lot of the fast-food restaurants and other places that employ people around here because we want the best people,” he said.
“You can make $12 per hour here and you can make $12 per hour at Burger King, but family people might be more interested in the steady hours that we have.”
While the new classified wage pertains to substitutes and custodians, Gilmer bus drivers are offered a starting hourly pay of $18.15. There are currently 48 bus drivers employed by Gilmer Schools, which is six shy of a full staff. Gilmer has dealt with a driver shortage for the past two years, according to transportation supervisor Samantha Amos.
In previous years, the school system has used “tiered routes” that keep those in elementary school separated from older students. Because of the driver shortage, four of those routes have been consolidated, and older and younger students are back to riding together.
“Me and the mechanics, and we have had to use maintenance before to cover routes,” Amos said. “We try to keep someone in the shop at all times, and I’m usually the last to drive. We have one substitute driver that drives our shuttle route in the afternoon, and whenever she has to be off, it makes it harder for us to do things.”
Amos pointed to the perks of the job such as days off for summers and seasonal and school holidays, and noted they offer a signing bonus of $1,000 after six months. No experience is needed, and the school system provides the training.
“Back in the day, my bus driver was a farmer,” Ridley said. “He got up early, drove the bus and did his job around the farm then drove in the afternoon. You don’t see as many people out there who are interested in that type of schedule. It’s kind of hard to find people who want that schedule to make that amount of money, but we did up field trip pay (from $9 to $15 per hour) to hopefully attract more people.
“We do the training here, so if you don’t have a CDL, we pay you during the training, so it’s not a bad deal.”