MOBILE, Ala. — Bus driver pay dominated the Mobile County Public Schools budget board meeting, with drivers telling the board that starting salaries leave them working second and third jobs.
The drivers are asking for more pay. So far, they say, they are getting little response.
Fifteen Years Behind the Wheel
Robin Pulliam, president of the Mobile American Federation of Teachers, told the board she has driven a bus in the school system for 15 years — and works several jobs to make ends meet.
“I would like to see bus drivers get on their scales that they should be on,” Pulliam said.
According to Pulliam, starting pay for Mobile County Public Schools bus drivers is $16,000 annually. She said it should be at least $20,000.
The Field Trip Gap
Pulliam identified a second disparity that is easier to compare directly.
School bus drivers in Mobile County are paid $12.25 an hour for field trips. In Baldwin County and Saraland, she said, the rate is $25 an hour.
That is roughly double, for the same work, in adjacent systems.
Field trip pay matters beyond the hourly figure. Drivers who work a morning and afternoon route have hours in between, and field trips are one of the few ways to convert that gap into income. A rate substantially below neighboring systems makes the assignment less attractive — which is a staffing problem as much as a compensation one, since schools need drivers willing to take those runs.
‘We’ve Been Fighting for a Long Time to Be Respected’
Pulliam framed the issue as one of standing within the system, not only of dollars.
“My bus drivers support staff for the school system,” she said. “We’ve been fighting for a long time to be respected. And a lot of us aren’t. And we can tell that by our salaries.”
The word “support” carries weight in school employment. Support personnel — drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers, aides — are classified separately from certified teaching staff, with different salary schedules and, frequently, different treatment in budget discussions. Pulliam’s argument is that the schedule itself communicates how the work is valued.
The Board’s Response
Sherry McDade, Mobile County Public Schools board president, said she spent 37 years as an educator and understands the struggle.
McDade said the board has heard the concerns and hopes to make a decision soon.
“Well again, our board will meet and we’ll meet with our CFO,” McDade said. “And we meet with the superintendent and share those concerns, what our employees with the superintendent make him aware of all that they may be made aware of it, but then it’s coming directly from the board.”
She said the board will meet with the chief financial officer to reach a decision that best benefits employees.
There is no timeline for when that will happen.
Why the Timeline Question Matters
The absence of a timeline is the operative detail for the drivers.
School district budgets are adopted on an annual cycle, and personnel costs — salary schedules in particular — are generally set as part of that process rather than adjusted mid-year. A commitment to discuss an issue without a date attached can mean a decision within weeks or a decision at the next budget adoption.
Salary schedule changes are also structurally difficult to reverse. Unlike a one-time bonus, raising a schedule creates a recurring obligation that compounds with step increases across every year that follows, which is why districts approach schedule adjustments cautiously even when they agree with the underlying argument.
The Driver Shortage Context
School bus driver shortages have been a persistent national problem since the pandemic, and districts across the country have raised pay, offered signing bonuses and consolidated routes in response.
The job’s structure is part of why it is hard to fill. It requires a commercial driver’s license with passenger and school bus endorsements, a clean record, and passing background and medical screening — a meaningful barrier to entry. It carries responsibility for the safety of children. And it is split-shift work: early morning and mid-afternoon, with a gap in between that is difficult to fill with other employment.
Drivers who hold a CDL have alternatives. Commercial trucking, transit and delivery work all accept the same license, frequently at higher pay and with continuous hours.
That is the competitive pressure behind Pulliam’s comparison to Baldwin County and Saraland. Drivers who can earn double for field trip work a county line away have a straightforward option.
Mobile County Public Schools
Mobile County Public Schools is the largest school district in Alabama by enrollment, serving a geographically large county that includes urban Mobile, suburban communities and substantial rural areas.
That geography makes transportation a major operation. Long rural routes mean more miles, more time per route and more drivers required per student transported than in a compact district — which makes driver staffing a direct determinant of whether students get to school on time.
What Happens Next
The board will meet with the chief financial officer and the superintendent. McDade said a decision is hoped for soon.
The drivers, meanwhile, continue to run their routes.