Willis ISD increased its pay for all bus drivers, which will go into effect Jan. 6, district officials announced at the board of trustees’ Dec. 11 meeting.

What you need to know

The increase of $1.25 an hour comes after WISD lost some bus drivers due to better pay offers from nearby school districts, such as Conroe ISD at $19.50 per hour and Montgomery ISD at $20.20 per hour, Director of Communications Jamie Fails said.

“Based on the current employees, this is projected to cost the district approximately $44,000 just for the remainder of ... this budget year, so from the budgetary perspective, I feel confident that we can accommodate this within the current budget, within this program,” Chief Financial Officer Garett Matej said Dec. 11.

Breaking it down

The pay raise for drivers includes going from:

• $19.27 per hour to $20.52 per hour for current commercial driver’s license drivers
• $16.50 per hour to $20.52 per hour for part-time bus drivers
• $10.00 per hour to $20.52 per hour for new-hire training

In other news

The board named Gerald Schattle as the new principal for the new Homer C. Calfee Middle School, which is set to open for the 2025-26 school year.

What’s next

The next school board meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 15 at the WISD Administration building, 612 N. Campbell St., Willis.