Charles County Public School Bus Drivers and Attendants for years have been transporting our county's most important cargo, our children. Not only do they safely take students to and from school, they also serve as nurses, counselors, mentors, and even role models for some students. Unfortunately our bus drivers and attendants are being disregarded, underpaid, and forgotten about.

Currently there are some bus drivers under their contract that make poverty wages. The average salary for CCPS Bus Driver is $22,593.60 and Attendants is $16,599.60 for the first four years of service, this is horrific given the state poverty line is $24,300. Drivers and attendants can make less, since they are not paid during unexpected school closures (i.e. snow days). Being paid poverty wages have multiple side effects. There are drivers and attendants who cannot afford their employer based health insurance, are unable to pay their mortgage, utility bills, groceries, and now christmas gifts for their children. Since they are not employees of Charles County Public Schools, instead are contracted out through transportation contractors, they are not allotted the benefit of the county's defined pension plan. This leaves drivers and attendants with no options, except a terrible 401k plan that leaves them with an average of $1,000 per year of service.

At the same time bus drivers and attendants are not being notified by CCPS or their contractors when students who ride their bus contract COVID, putting the lives of drivers, attendants, and their families at risk. They are even required to come out of pocket for cleaning supplies and sanitizers for their bus and masks for students who do not have one.

To add insult to injury the Charles County School Board and Superintendent refuse to provide meaningful retention bonuses, better health insurance plans, or raise wages and payscale, all the while neighboring counties, Calvert and St. Mary's, and other counties across the state have.

Please sign the letter campaign to tell the Charles County School Board and Superintendent to provide drivers and attendants the wages and benefits they deserve. And to treat them like the essential workers they are.

[Click here to read a personal story from a CCPS Bus Driver about how being paid poverty wages are affecting them.]