BUS DRIVERS

FROM PAGE 10

the cancellations.

Compared to surrounding districts, Douglas County’s transportation pay is one of the lowest in the metro area. Douglas County starts bus drivers with commercial driver’s licenses at $22.86 per hour and transportation assistants start at $17.62 per hour.

e Cherry Creek School District starts bus drivers at $23.18 per hour and assistants start at $17.74 per hour.

Lauren Snell, a spokesperson for Cherry Creek schools, said the district is working to ll 30 open bus driver positions and isn’t facing the same transportation challenges as Douglas County. However, Snell said hiring transportation sta isn’t particularly challenging.

“Right now, people want to come work for Cherry Creek,” she said.

Snell said no routes will be canceled this year and cancellations weren’t an issue last year either.

In an email to families, Kane said it’s hard for Douglas County to o er competitive pay because of limited district funding. Currently, the district is o ering paid training and $1,000 sign-on bonuses for select positions to try entice employees.

“While this is a challenge a ecting school districts across the country, our funding situation makes the challenge more acute for our district,” she said.

e school board will be voting on whether to put a $66 million mill levy override and $484 million bond on the 2023 ballot to pay more competitive salaries for sta and build new schools at the Aug. 8 meeting.