$2M Earmarked To Support School Bus Drivers In Howard County

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — An estimated 100 school bus routes recently were interrupted across the county, prompting officials to announce the commitment of $2 million American Rescue Plan funds to assist with bus driver retention and hiring. The county has $63.2 million to spend through the American Rescue Plan.

In a video statement, Ball explained that the funding constitutes only 6 percent of the county's total usable ARP funds for the current fiscal year. Ball said he will continue to focus on other essential workers, too, including school workers and health department employees.

“I’m appreciative of the work our board of education and school system have done to resolve these issues this week,” Ball said. “Our bus drivers should be fairly compensated for their important work that is provided to our children.”

On Monday, county officials and school bus drivers reached a tentative agreement for a pay increase, which comes on the heels of a sickout drivers recently staged that left dozens of routes unfulfilled.

"We have not had an increase in pay since 2000, a cost of living since 2009," Howard County school bus representative Dianne Withers told WBAL.

Howard County bus drivers asked for the following:

• A $5 an hour increase
• A $2,000 retention bonus
• A $2,000 retainer fee for new hires
• Health insurance paid for by the county