CABOT, Ark. — The school year is on the horizon, and for some districts, it’s already here. Nearly every teaching position has been set at this point, but there's still time to apply for a classified job in a school district.
“It’s never too late to become a school bus driver in Arkansas," said Doctor Tony Thurman, superintendent of the Cabot Public School District.
According to Dr. Thurman, there's always a need for more school bus drivers, plus it's easy to apply
“I can speak for all districts and say if you’re interested at all in becoming a school bus driver even to the point if you’d like to test drive a school bus to see if it’s something you could do," he explained. "All you have to do is contact the transportation director and just tell them you have this interest, and you’d like to try it out. They’ll work with you, I can guarantee it.”
Aside from bus drivers, Arkansas school districts have several other classified jobs, such as cafeteria and custodial workers, with flexible work hours.
“We have staff that prefer to work at night. During the school day, it’s kind of hard to get all the classrooms taken care of so our staff finds it much easier to get things done at night when no one is in the building," Dr. Thurman added.
Over the years he’s seen the need for classified jobs expand tremendously, especially in larger school districts. Now, it's become a year-round search to fill these positions in any school district.
“I don’t know if any school district in Arkansas would tell you that we don’t need bus drivers. Bus drivers are in great demand and being in great demand also means great pay," he said.
Dr. Thurman added that an individual can disperse their pay over 12 months if they choose instead of 9 during the school year. It’s a great opportunity for a secondary or primary job.
“If you work for a school district don’t forget you get insurance and retirement. It’s something to consider. You may make a few more dollars working at a fast food place down the street but the benefits package and the long-term benefits are something to consider,” he described.