District 55 transportation disruption: Changes to longstanding pay practices lead to driver shortage

Laurens County School District 55 has faced school-bus delays and missed pickups after changing longstanding driver pay practices. The disruption led the district to announce an e-learning day on Nov. 9. Interim Superintendent Rhett Harris said some drivers had been paid for additional midday routes on top of a full day’s wages, with timesheets reportedly reaching 96 hours in a week. The district has revised pay rules and raised wages by 5%.