Hall County Schools Transportation Director Clay Hobbs says his department is doing better than this time last year in a couple of areas as they prepare for the start of the school year on August 4.
The first is bus driver numbers. Last year, Hobbs said the school system was well below where he wanted to be for total available drivers.
This year, he said numbers are up, but still not quite where he would like to see them.
"We're starting the school year with more drivers than we started with last year, but we are still down," Hobbs said. "We would like to hire about 20 more drivers than we have right now. We do have a plan to get every student to school safely starting on the first day of school, but we definitely could use some more."
Hobbs said they are still accepting applications for bus drivers and he said there are several advantages to the job.
"When you base it on a four-hour day, we pay $27.41 per hour. That's a pretty good wage, I feel like, for a beginning driver. Also, our bus drivers have access to full benefits," Hobbs said. "You're also on the same schedule as your children that attend Hall County Schools and that is really attractive to a lot of mothers that are sending their youngest child off to kindergarten, because they can be off when their children are off."
Hobbs said anyone interested can start the application process by calling the school system's transportation facility at 770-287-0942 or by applying online.
Another area the transportation department is seeing improved conditions in compared to last year is fuel costs. With average prices nationally being down as much as a dollar from 2022, Hobbs said budgeting for this upcoming school year has been much easier than last.
"I was actually able, believe it or not, to lower my fuel budget by over a half of a million dollars," Hobbs said.
He said one of the ways the school system saves money on fuel costs is by purchasing futures to avoid paying higher costs during the summer months at the beginning of the school year.
"(Superintendent Will) Schofield is very involved in this aspect and most people don't know what it is," Hobbs said. "We've been really successful with it."
With the school year starting soon, Hobbs also said it's important for drivers to be cautious with school buses hitting the roads again for the first time in months. He said drivers should remember that anytime a school bus stops and extends its red stop sign, it is Georgia law to stop unless you are on the opposite side of a divided highway.
He said parents of children who will be riding buses need to take care as well.
"If your child misses the school bus, please take them to school," Hobbs said. "The worst thing and one of the most dangerous things your child will ever do is chase after a school bus. Bus drivers are not able to see those students. They don't know that they're behind them."
To hear more from Hall County Schools Transportation Director Clay Hobbs, click play on the audio above.
