BOE approves wage increases for bus garage employees

Published 12:30 pm Friday, July 28, 2023

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Transportation workers for Clark County Public Schools (CCPS) are getting a raise.

The CCPS Board of Education voted to raise the hourly pay rates for the bus garage supervisor and the bus mechanics during a meeting on Monday.

The garage supervisor will get a pay bump of $3 per hour, and the mechanics will see their hourly wage increase by $2.

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“This falls in line with the audit we did from January through May. The auditor recommended raising their pay so that we can remain competitive,” said Daren Snell, the district’s director of logistics and student support services. “I agree with it…I think the mechanics deserve a pay raise.”

The pay increase will cost the district, but specialized mechanical knowledge comes at a premium right now.

“If you look at the prices for what diesel mechanics go for these days, it is a lot. I think it is well deserved,” Snell said.

He explained that the total increase in cost to the district would be over $26,000 a year and does include benefits.

Board Chair Bill Taulbee asked if the raise would be financially sustainable.

Director of Finance Aleisha Ellis said it would be if the district follows the path laid out in the audit.

Board member Dora Hall said she wanted to clarify for those in attendance and watching on YouTube that the district had looked at wage studies for all positions and that these were some of the last to be examined.

“We’ve finished our first round of wage studies, and everyone in the district got a pay raise starting July 1,” said Superintendent Dustin Howard. “We are trying to meet the needs of kids, and to do that you need to attract high-quality folks and keep them. Right now, I feel confident in the raises that we’ve made.”

The motion to approve the raises passed 5-0.

In other business the Board…

• Voted to approve a memorandum of agreement with the National Youth Advocate Program. Hall recused herself from the vote because the organization is her primary employer.

• Approved the district’s code of conduct for the 2023-24 school year. The code is now live on the district’s website, www.clarkschools.net.

• Approved the handbooks for each of the district’s schools. The handbooks can be found on each school’s website and on the district website as well.

• Approved the district’s transportation handbook.

• Voted to approve an agreement between the district and Samsara for software that will help the district monitor its fleet of buses and bus drivers. The licensing fee will cost the district over $48,000 per year.

• Voted to approve an agreement with Clark County GIS Consortium for various mapping and data maintenance services. The agreement will cost the district over $40,000.