Wake offering more than $2,000 in attendance bonuses for every bus driver during summer learning programs

Wake County Public School System bus drivers who sign up to work during summer learning programs will be eligible for a $300 weekly bonus for perfect attendance.

The Wake County Board of Education approved yet another bonus for bus drivers based on attendance Tuesday night, although this one is for summer programs, rather than during the mandatory school year.

The school system has nearly 300 bus driver vacancies — about a third of its planned staffing total of nearly 900 drivers. That’s resulted in more routes for existing drivers and more careful scheduling to ensure buses are able to pick students up and drop them off, though parents have complained for the past two years of buses being canceled because there was no driver.

Superintendent Catty Moore said Tuesday the district’s summer programs last year would have been improved with more reliable busing, prompting the district to seek the bonus this year.

The school system estimates the district will need about 400 bus drivers just for the programs taking place across the district.

Sign up for the programs hasn’t ended yet, and officials did not on hand have a number of students signed up so far when WRAL News asked Tuesday evening.

The school board is setting aside $1.1 million for the bonuses, if every bus driver achieved perfect attendance. Each driver who had perfect attendance all summer would earn more than $2,000 in bonuses.

The summer programs run from June 12 through the end of July.

The bonus money is coming from the district transportation department’s budget.