FY 2024 Budget Has School Bus Driver Pay Raise

Photo showing a group of school buses (Henry County Schools photo).
(Henry County Schools photo)

Henry County Schools approved its tentative budget last week at the April board meeting. The FY 2024 budget includes a school bus driver pay raise.

The school district will consider final adoption of the budget in May. The tentative budget projects estimated revenues of $517 million with $510 million in expenses.

FY 2024 Bus Driver Pay Raise

Presently, the starting pay for a Henry County school bus driver is $17.79 per hour. The proposed FY 2024 pay raise would be $2 more per hour. This will raise the starting pay to $19.79 hourly. Bus drivers receive annual increases for up to 30 years of service, topping out around $32 per hour.

Henry County Schools last adopted a bus driver pay increase in August 2021. The board approved a $2 per hour increase at the time. Bus drivers received a small bump — less than twenty cents per hour — between the 21–22 school year to now.

According to information provided by Henry County Schools, the average hourly wage for bus drivers is about $19 per hour. This is based on twelve school districts in the Griffin and metro Atlanta areas. The $2 per hour increase will raise Henry County above the average. The average salary does not consider any increases other districts may be planning for next school year.

Cobb County Schools is the highest-paid in Henry County Schools’ analysis. Their pay begins at $25 per hour. The next-highest is Newton County starting at $20.34. Other districts pay between $16–19 per hour. These numbers are based on the current school year.

Bus transportation has been a perennial hot topic both within Henry County and the metro area. Many school districts, including Henry County, are facing a bus driver shortage. Henry County Schools has a little under 300 approved bus driver positions. As of March, the district had about sixty vacancies. The vacancies have led to long delays for student bus transportation in the mornings and afternoons. The district is continuously recruiting new drivers for anyone who may be interested.

Featured image shows a group of school buses. Henry County Schools photo.

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About Clayton 1427 Articles
Clayton Carte is the founder and owner of MHF News. He founded the site in 2017 to highlight transportation projects. Over time, he began covering other topics like new development so residents can best know what’s happening in our community.