NISD school bus

The starting pay rate for Nacogdoches ISD bus drivers will move to $20 per hour in the upcoming fiscal year that begins July 1, a 22.5 percent increase that will be applied to all bus drivers. 

NISD trustees on May 16 gave final approval to the NISD compensation plan for the upcoming budget year.

“The pay increase as well as other efforts to attract drivers is an acknowledgement that we have to bring in more help,” said NISD Superintendent Dr. Gabriel Trujillo. “Around 3,000 of our students ride a bus daily to get to class and get home in the afternoon, and those routes have to be covered efficiently and effectively so the rest of our school day goes smoothly.”

All NISD bus drivers will see the 22.5 percent increase in hourly pay, said Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Harold Whitaker. The adjustment is an attempt to bring bus driver pay in line with other East Texas employers and attract more drivers to the district, Whitaker said.