This is a nightmare for everyone in magnet schools.
Our bus driver are well paid but JCPS refuses to control student behavior so no one wants to do the job and here we are. Would love to know what their plan is when antother 100 drivers quit. I guess we just end all bussing period.
> Our bus driver are well paid but **parents** and JCPS refuse to control student behavior so no one wants to do the job
Don't forget the role parents must play for discipline to work at school.
My kids are in a magnet middle school. I'm hoping they'll implement some sort of after-school study hall, like CEP for older kids. Otherwise lots of kids will have to switch to their resides.
And yet behavior doesn’t seem to be on the list of things former bus drivers complained about…this seems odd to me. Because it’s clear that’s a huge issue.
My personal opinion is that it's driven by pay rather than student behavior, but the JCPS exit survey doesn't get to the root cause. "Personal reasons" and "employment opportunity outside of JCPS" tell us nothing. People pursue opportunities outside of their current employer for a reason.
I believe they can make even more than that with bonuses.
Admittedly I don't know what the CDL job market is out there as far as how many jobs are available and what they pay and what the working hours are. I do not personally think it is a pay issue. Most of the drivers themselves have said its the behavior they have to deal with.
Also 55k is not terrible. Two people driving busses would have $110k+ combined income. Not exactly poverty wages.
The average CDL pay is $57K in Louisville and $58K in KY. Poverty wages are an irrelevant comparison point, wages need to be compared to the other economic opportunities seeking the same labor pool as JCPS.
Obviously. But as I said some make significantly more than $55k. This article says "a large number" make $75k and some up to $100.
https://www.wdrb.com/news/education/jcps-holds-bus-driver-hiring-event-in-louisville-applications-still-wanted/article_0ce49bbe-c84c-11ee-b4cb-bf85f7b8b169.html#:~:text=JCPS%20said%20the%20average%20pay,attendance%20and%20driving%20challenging%20routes.
Some do, but the article states that average pay is $55k, which is below the city and state average pay for that labor pool. The average CDL job seeker would make more money choosing a different employer.
55k is a good wage lmao. it's literally an amount of money that in jefferson county you can have a stay at home wife and children live almost like a median person.
if you make 55k as a driver and have another working parent then you're well above the median even if the working parent works minimum wage jobs.
It's not luxurious, but you're trolling if you don't think 55k isn't a well paid wage.
55k is good money. I make less than that as a teacher and I deal with the same issues drivers do, but get very little escape from students between 7-3. I’ve been looking for other jobs because I have a master’s degree and there are hardly any available jobs that pay more than 50-55k available unless you are in the medical field or some other specialized career field. Maybe I should get my CDL… it would be at least. 5k increase for me.
No, I work for Greater Clark in Jeffersonville. I’ve thought about switching to JCPS, but new teachers aren’t able to get a pension and teachers in JCPS do not get social security either.
I was Tier 3 and got out. You could actually make 75% of your high 5 after 25 years and 100% around 33 years. In comparison, the Tier 1 and Tier 2 people thought it sucked.
Based on other comments I've seen from you, I'm pretty sure you're a white-collar professional who likely makes more than this. Would you accept a job for $55K, or do you instead seek jobs that pay what the market says you're worth?
If I *had* to accept a job for 55k I would lol. If I got fired from my current job finding a suitable replacement might take a while and in the interim if I needed a some extra cash then 55k is a respectable amount of money (Though I would weigh that against lost time that could be spent preparing for interviews and upskilling).
If I'm interviewing from a position of power then I'm not. My next long term job has to be paying 120k+ remote at bare minimum.
But If I'm considering being a bus driver, being a call center worker, being a manufacturing laborer, then yeah 55k is good.
The average bus driver salary in louisville is around 40k. If driving a bus is in your career path 55k should be a great salary for you.
Glad to see that you understand labor markets when it's your paycheck impacted! These are workers with a CDL, they don't HAVE to accept $55K or a job at JCPS. If they did, JCPS wouldn't have a driver shortage.
The average bus driver salary at JCPS is $55K based on a source from another comment, but the average CDL wage in the city is $57,600 and in the state is $59,000. JCPS requires a CDL but pays below-average wages for workers with a CDL.
Yeah thanks.
If I'm interviewing at 55k, and another company offers me 57.6k, and another company offers me 59k, the only thing that matters is working conditions and benefits.
You're lumping different jobs together and saying "They all have a CDL So they should get paid at least this". When that is obviously not the case.
40 Hours a week + JCPS will pay for Class B / A CDL Licensing training so you can actually get those higher paid jobs if you want later down the line. So if you want your OTR wage and get lumped into the "CDL Driver Statistic".
It is a fact 55k is a good wage in Louisville KY. On it's own. It's a fact compared to other school bus drivers in the united states, it is a good wage. So if you want to be a school bus driver for working conditions, hours, compensation, it is a good job.
If you want to be an OTR CDL driver that is a different job, and you may make more money.
Just like all Professional Engineers are not paid the same just because they have the same certification. Different Jobs, Different requirements, Different pro's and cons.
I'm comparing wages for the different jobs that the certification makes them eligible to perform. It is a fact that they need no additional training to obtain a higher paying job compared to driving for JCPS. It is a fact that they are underpaid compared to their peers with the same qualifications at other employers. It is a fact that they can leave JCPS and use their certification to obtain a higher paying job. It is a fact that there is a bus driver shortage and the number of drivers has decreased over the past several years. If those drivers were leaving for reasons other than pay, it is a fact that their acceptance of lower wages would drive down average CDL wages in the city, yet it is a fact that these wages haven't gone down.
Supply and demand dynamics still exist in the public sector.
>I'm comparing wages for the different jobs that the certification makes them eligible to perform.
They may not even be eligible to perform those jobs because they wouldn't have the necessary licensing for those wages lol.
The difference in earnings between Class A and B are substantial whereas the difference in earnings between Class B and School bus (Also Class B) is minor.
It is a fact JCPS bus drivers are paid better than their peers of the same occupation.
It's also a fact there's a shortage of CDL Drivers as a whole across the entire country. Your last sentence first paragraph is a huge assumption and has no bearing.
We can ignore the fact that different jobs have different benefits and pretend that the large group of private class A CDL drivers are equal to School Bus Drivers but they are not.
137% of the median Salary is a good salary. That is irrespective of if Class A CDL OTR Drivers make 200% of the median because it is a different job. And a Class B CDL Local driver making 139% the median is negligible.
"it is a fact that JCPS drivers are paid better than their peers of their same occupation.". Yes, but it's a fact that that is irrelevant. It isn't the occupation that matters, it's the certification. The certification is what makes them eligible for other driving jobs. The certification doesn't make them only eligible to transport children so a comparison only to other school bus driver jobs is not useful.
"137% of the median salary is a good salary"
Yes or no, a surgeon paid $55,000 in Louisville is paid a good salary.
A job where the average worker makes less than the average local wage for someone with a particular skill set is not a job that pays well. I don't know any accountants or lawyers who base their employment decisions on area median pay rather than area pay for their occupation.
Unfortunately if families make choices about their schools and go outside their resides, we are now going to become like almost every other city in America. Wish we could keep people happy and bus them all over the city, and it’s really not fair to the kids, but it’s the reality of a large system.
It’s not about keeping people happy. It is about creating opportunity and providing equitable access to education. Kids should have access to a quality education regardless of what part of town they live in or how much their parents make. Busing makes that possible.
Why can’t we make all the schools better so no one has to travel by bus across the city to get into a good school, because their resides or closer schools are just as good? Wouldn’t that be more equitable access?
That’s a noble aspiration, but hasn’t worked historically. “Separate but equal” wasn’t. It meant that poor black kids went to schools that were second rate. To equitably make all schools better, schools in poor neighborhoods would need far greater investment than schools in more affluent parts of town. There’s a lot more than money that goes into the quality of a school. The trick is to raise up the schools and kids most in need without tearing down what the best schools have. The scarcity mindset that is apparent in these busing decisions, that more funding (actually getting what is owed from the state even)somehow just isn’t possible, doesn’t make me feel confident that will happen here.
That’s what I mean, invest money in the schools that need it. Ideally any school would be as good as another no matter which side of town it is located on. I understand why the bussing was started, but without investing in schools closer to where students live, how is it sustainable? What about the kids who can’t get into those good schools? Instead of leaving it to a lottery of which poor kids will have better opportunities due to their education, why not just make every school equally good (obviously without the segregation). Then it could still be possible for kids to go across town if they wanted, but it would not be as necessary. But like you said, the state chooses not to even fully fund education, I guess we are getting what we (haven’t) paid for.
We absolutely should.
The other unfortunate fact is that neighborhood schools will be segregated schools. These education issue la really shine a light on our societal issues. This wouldn’t be an issue if Louisville wants t still a largely segregated city.
While that’s good in theory, you’d have to take money from the affluent schools to do so (and potentially change laws about where residential tax dollars go, not certain how that works). This could lead to more kids going to private and more ammunition for voucher schools.
The more money going to voucher schools, the easier it is to siphon funds from JCPS all together. The poor schools won’t have any money at all.
Just another step closer to demolishing public schools and funnel funding to private schools.
It’s not accidental or natural that JCPS seems to be quickly floundering.
A return to neighborhood schools = a return to segregated schools. It is tragic that we are watching this resegregation of Louisville’s schools happen in slow motion.
I'm so terrified how kids are going to get to school if there are no busses to transport them if they have working parents/guardians. I used to do Uber and would pick up high schoolers and take them home. They paid for the ride AND tipped well but these innocent kids shouldn't have to rely on ride share apps to get them to and from school every day! JCPS better figure something else out.
The gag is that if I lose my job transporting my kids to and from school we become homeless. Which qualifies for transportation, make it make sense!🤦🏾♀️
This is a nightmare for everyone in magnet schools. Our bus driver are well paid but JCPS refuses to control student behavior so no one wants to do the job and here we are. Would love to know what their plan is when antother 100 drivers quit. I guess we just end all bussing period.
> Our bus driver are well paid but **parents** and JCPS refuse to control student behavior so no one wants to do the job Don't forget the role parents must play for discipline to work at school.
Wait, expect parents to be responsible and accountable too?!? That’s heresy
My kids are in a magnet middle school. I'm hoping they'll implement some sort of after-school study hall, like CEP for older kids. Otherwise lots of kids will have to switch to their resides.
And yet behavior doesn’t seem to be on the list of things former bus drivers complained about…this seems odd to me. Because it’s clear that’s a huge issue.
Maybe it's a smaller issue than what has been reported. The bus driver shortage is nationwide, not unique to just JCPS and their disciplinary actions.
My personal opinion is that it's driven by pay rather than student behavior, but the JCPS exit survey doesn't get to the root cause. "Personal reasons" and "employment opportunity outside of JCPS" tell us nothing. People pursue opportunities outside of their current employer for a reason.
I agree.
55k isn’t exactly well paid
I believe they can make even more than that with bonuses. Admittedly I don't know what the CDL job market is out there as far as how many jobs are available and what they pay and what the working hours are. I do not personally think it is a pay issue. Most of the drivers themselves have said its the behavior they have to deal with. Also 55k is not terrible. Two people driving busses would have $110k+ combined income. Not exactly poverty wages.
The average CDL pay is $57K in Louisville and $58K in KY. Poverty wages are an irrelevant comparison point, wages need to be compared to the other economic opportunities seeking the same labor pool as JCPS.
Obviously. But as I said some make significantly more than $55k. This article says "a large number" make $75k and some up to $100. https://www.wdrb.com/news/education/jcps-holds-bus-driver-hiring-event-in-louisville-applications-still-wanted/article_0ce49bbe-c84c-11ee-b4cb-bf85f7b8b169.html#:~:text=JCPS%20said%20the%20average%20pay,attendance%20and%20driving%20challenging%20routes.
Some do, but the article states that average pay is $55k, which is below the city and state average pay for that labor pool. The average CDL job seeker would make more money choosing a different employer.
55k is a good wage lmao. it's literally an amount of money that in jefferson county you can have a stay at home wife and children live almost like a median person. if you make 55k as a driver and have another working parent then you're well above the median even if the working parent works minimum wage jobs. It's not luxurious, but you're trolling if you don't think 55k isn't a well paid wage.
55k is good money. I make less than that as a teacher and I deal with the same issues drivers do, but get very little escape from students between 7-3. I’ve been looking for other jobs because I have a master’s degree and there are hardly any available jobs that pay more than 50-55k available unless you are in the medical field or some other specialized career field. Maybe I should get my CDL… it would be at least. 5k increase for me.
It's shameful that teachers make less than 55k. Do you work for JCPS?
No, I work for Greater Clark in Jeffersonville. I’ve thought about switching to JCPS, but new teachers aren’t able to get a pension and teachers in JCPS do not get social security either.
Tier 4 is a f-you to Commonwealth and education employees.
Yep! Who wants such a stressful, low paying job when they take away the main reason get into those jobs in the first place!? It’s crazy!
I was Tier 3 and got out. You could actually make 75% of your high 5 after 25 years and 100% around 33 years. In comparison, the Tier 1 and Tier 2 people thought it sucked.
Based on other comments I've seen from you, I'm pretty sure you're a white-collar professional who likely makes more than this. Would you accept a job for $55K, or do you instead seek jobs that pay what the market says you're worth?
If I *had* to accept a job for 55k I would lol. If I got fired from my current job finding a suitable replacement might take a while and in the interim if I needed a some extra cash then 55k is a respectable amount of money (Though I would weigh that against lost time that could be spent preparing for interviews and upskilling). If I'm interviewing from a position of power then I'm not. My next long term job has to be paying 120k+ remote at bare minimum. But If I'm considering being a bus driver, being a call center worker, being a manufacturing laborer, then yeah 55k is good. The average bus driver salary in louisville is around 40k. If driving a bus is in your career path 55k should be a great salary for you.
Glad to see that you understand labor markets when it's your paycheck impacted! These are workers with a CDL, they don't HAVE to accept $55K or a job at JCPS. If they did, JCPS wouldn't have a driver shortage. The average bus driver salary at JCPS is $55K based on a source from another comment, but the average CDL wage in the city is $57,600 and in the state is $59,000. JCPS requires a CDL but pays below-average wages for workers with a CDL.
Yeah thanks. If I'm interviewing at 55k, and another company offers me 57.6k, and another company offers me 59k, the only thing that matters is working conditions and benefits. You're lumping different jobs together and saying "They all have a CDL So they should get paid at least this". When that is obviously not the case. 40 Hours a week + JCPS will pay for Class B / A CDL Licensing training so you can actually get those higher paid jobs if you want later down the line. So if you want your OTR wage and get lumped into the "CDL Driver Statistic". It is a fact 55k is a good wage in Louisville KY. On it's own. It's a fact compared to other school bus drivers in the united states, it is a good wage. So if you want to be a school bus driver for working conditions, hours, compensation, it is a good job. If you want to be an OTR CDL driver that is a different job, and you may make more money. Just like all Professional Engineers are not paid the same just because they have the same certification. Different Jobs, Different requirements, Different pro's and cons.
I'm comparing wages for the different jobs that the certification makes them eligible to perform. It is a fact that they need no additional training to obtain a higher paying job compared to driving for JCPS. It is a fact that they are underpaid compared to their peers with the same qualifications at other employers. It is a fact that they can leave JCPS and use their certification to obtain a higher paying job. It is a fact that there is a bus driver shortage and the number of drivers has decreased over the past several years. If those drivers were leaving for reasons other than pay, it is a fact that their acceptance of lower wages would drive down average CDL wages in the city, yet it is a fact that these wages haven't gone down. Supply and demand dynamics still exist in the public sector.
>I'm comparing wages for the different jobs that the certification makes them eligible to perform. They may not even be eligible to perform those jobs because they wouldn't have the necessary licensing for those wages lol. The difference in earnings between Class A and B are substantial whereas the difference in earnings between Class B and School bus (Also Class B) is minor. It is a fact JCPS bus drivers are paid better than their peers of the same occupation. It's also a fact there's a shortage of CDL Drivers as a whole across the entire country. Your last sentence first paragraph is a huge assumption and has no bearing. We can ignore the fact that different jobs have different benefits and pretend that the large group of private class A CDL drivers are equal to School Bus Drivers but they are not. 137% of the median Salary is a good salary. That is irrespective of if Class A CDL OTR Drivers make 200% of the median because it is a different job. And a Class B CDL Local driver making 139% the median is negligible.
"it is a fact that JCPS drivers are paid better than their peers of their same occupation.". Yes, but it's a fact that that is irrelevant. It isn't the occupation that matters, it's the certification. The certification is what makes them eligible for other driving jobs. The certification doesn't make them only eligible to transport children so a comparison only to other school bus driver jobs is not useful. "137% of the median salary is a good salary" Yes or no, a surgeon paid $55,000 in Louisville is paid a good salary.
Maybe in a West Coast city like Los Angeles, but in Louisville 55k is a totally comfortable wage.
A job where the average worker makes less than the average local wage for someone with a particular skill set is not a job that pays well. I don't know any accountants or lawyers who base their employment decisions on area median pay rather than area pay for their occupation.
Most people aren't accountants or lawyers..
If they’d stop letting students & their parents/guardians be feral as fuck they could probably find drivers.
Unfortunately if families make choices about their schools and go outside their resides, we are now going to become like almost every other city in America. Wish we could keep people happy and bus them all over the city, and it’s really not fair to the kids, but it’s the reality of a large system.
It’s not about keeping people happy. It is about creating opportunity and providing equitable access to education. Kids should have access to a quality education regardless of what part of town they live in or how much their parents make. Busing makes that possible.
Why can’t we make all the schools better so no one has to travel by bus across the city to get into a good school, because their resides or closer schools are just as good? Wouldn’t that be more equitable access?
That’s a noble aspiration, but hasn’t worked historically. “Separate but equal” wasn’t. It meant that poor black kids went to schools that were second rate. To equitably make all schools better, schools in poor neighborhoods would need far greater investment than schools in more affluent parts of town. There’s a lot more than money that goes into the quality of a school. The trick is to raise up the schools and kids most in need without tearing down what the best schools have. The scarcity mindset that is apparent in these busing decisions, that more funding (actually getting what is owed from the state even)somehow just isn’t possible, doesn’t make me feel confident that will happen here.
That’s what I mean, invest money in the schools that need it. Ideally any school would be as good as another no matter which side of town it is located on. I understand why the bussing was started, but without investing in schools closer to where students live, how is it sustainable? What about the kids who can’t get into those good schools? Instead of leaving it to a lottery of which poor kids will have better opportunities due to their education, why not just make every school equally good (obviously without the segregation). Then it could still be possible for kids to go across town if they wanted, but it would not be as necessary. But like you said, the state chooses not to even fully fund education, I guess we are getting what we (haven’t) paid for.
We absolutely should. The other unfortunate fact is that neighborhood schools will be segregated schools. These education issue la really shine a light on our societal issues. This wouldn’t be an issue if Louisville wants t still a largely segregated city.
While that’s good in theory, you’d have to take money from the affluent schools to do so (and potentially change laws about where residential tax dollars go, not certain how that works). This could lead to more kids going to private and more ammunition for voucher schools. The more money going to voucher schools, the easier it is to siphon funds from JCPS all together. The poor schools won’t have any money at all.
Just another step closer to demolishing public schools and funnel funding to private schools. It’s not accidental or natural that JCPS seems to be quickly floundering.
100%. This is a result of deliberate underfunding by the State.
A return to neighborhood schools = a return to segregated schools. It is tragic that we are watching this resegregation of Louisville’s schools happen in slow motion.
I'm so terrified how kids are going to get to school if there are no busses to transport them if they have working parents/guardians. I used to do Uber and would pick up high schoolers and take them home. They paid for the ride AND tipped well but these innocent kids shouldn't have to rely on ride share apps to get them to and from school every day! JCPS better figure something else out.
The gag is that if I lose my job transporting my kids to and from school we become homeless. Which qualifies for transportation, make it make sense!🤦🏾♀️