Due to continued growth in the area, the St. Johns County School District (SJCSD)’s Transportation Department is actively recruiting new bus operators, and is offering a $1,000 sign-on bonus.
According to a press release sent on behalf of the district, St. Johns County is the eighth-fastest growing county in the country. According to a recent population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau, the county’s population increased by 4.2 percent in just one year. And since more families with young kids are moving to the area, the district needs more bus operators to transport children safely to and from school.
“There are so many positives to driving a bus,” said Rebecca D’Alessio, bus operator, recruiter and instructor for the Transportation Department. “It’s a meaningful, purposeful and fun-filled job working with the kids and connecting with them. We like to say that we are the driving force of education.”
D'Alessio, a Massachusetts native who graduated from Worcester State University with a degree in geography and spent much of her adult life as a crew member on a passenger ferry in Key West, said she never even considered working as a bus driver until she read an ad in the local newspaper.
“I was relatively new to St. Augustine and growing weary of working in the tourism industry,” D’Alessio said. “I knew that St. Johns County offered great benefits, and I really wanted a job with stability, flexibility and room to grow. Becoming a bus operator gave me all of those things plus they paid me to train for my CDL Class B license. I also love the diversity of working here. We have everyone from C-level professionals and retired public servants to great-grandmas and single parents.”
The district’s Transportation Department is accepting applications for full-time and part-time school bus operators. Training programs are held regularly throughout the year. Candidates must adhere to a strict list of requirements and will be given a $1,000 sign-on bonus after working as a bus operator for 60 school days. For more information, visit www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/transportation/jobs or contact George Marsh at (904) 547-8818.
