The Board of Education of Charles County today supported Superintendent of Schools Maria Navarro’s decision to increase the cost-of-living adjustment, also known as COLA, for contracted bus drivers and attendants. Superintendent Navarro presented the information to the Board members this afternoon, who expressed unanimous support of her decision to increase the COLA for contracted drivers and attendants from 2% to 5%.
All bus drivers and attendants who are employed by independent Charles County bus contractors will receive a 5% COLA for the 2023-2024 school year. The COLA now matches what was negotiated for Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) certificated and support staffs.
CCPS staff who fall under the Education Association of Charles County (EACC) and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union agreements received a one-step increase and 5% COLA for the 2023-2024 school year. Earlier this year, the Board approved Superintendent Navarro’s action to provide a 2% COLA for contracted bus drivers and attendants for the new school year and increased the minimum hours they could be paid for.
Starting with the 2023-2024 school year, any contracted bus driver or attendant who works at least four hours per day will be paid for seven hours and will now receive a 5% COLA (instead of the 2% previously offered). Drivers and attendants who work less than four hours, under the new agreement for the coming school year, will be paid for six hours and receive the 5% COLA.
Drivers who work between seven to eight hours will now receive a 5% COLA, and any driver working eight or more hours will be paid time-and a half plus the 5% COLA.
The cost of this change to the school system is about $400,000, which will be absorbed through the school system’s transportation budget. Superintendent Navarro said the COLA increase is an example of continued support of the school system to provide better wages for bus drivers and attendants.
“We continue to work with bus contractors, contracted drivers, and attendants to explore ways in which we can better support them. Through open lines of communication, regular meetings and feedback sessions, the Board and CCPS leadership continue to focus on compensation for drivers and attendants, and the possibility of exploring multi-year contracts. Bus drivers and attendants spend countless hours on Charles County roads each week, ensuring more than 23,000 children arrive to and from school safely each day. We will continue to explore and discuss ways in which school system funds are used to compensate not only CCPS employees, but those who work for bus contractors,” Navarro said.
When school starts on Monday, Aug. 28, more than 350 drivers and attendants will operate Charles County school bus routes. Bus route information will be loaded to School Locator, Where’s the Bus and ParentVue accounts next week. “We are excited to welcome back not only our students and staff but welcome our bus drivers and attendants to the start of another school year,” Navarro said.
