$1,200 Bonuses For Bus Drivers, Monitors In Cobb County Schools

COBB COUNTY, GA — Bus drivers and bus monitors in the Cobb County School District will get a $1,200 retention bonus, CCSD Superintendent Chris Ragsdale announced Tuesday — and there's still time to apply for a bus driver role and receive the bonus, too.

The district will give out the bonuses to all bus drivers and monitors in their December payroll, as long as they are employed by Sept. 24. There are three bus driver or monitor positions open in CCSD as of publication Tuesday afternoon, according to the district's job board.

"Our bus drivers and monitors are the first team member many of our students and parents see every day. We want to do everything we can to hire the best and keep the best,” Chief Operations Officer Marc Smith said.

Emma Fallins, a 30-year firefighting veteran, was not ready to hang up her keys once she retired as a firefighter. She's now a bus driver for Cobb Schools, and said this has been her ideal second career.

Plus, all of her children graduated from Pebblebrook High School, and now her grandchildren are part of the district, too.

"The kids are great. The schedule is awesome, and the pay is wonderful," she said. "I love my kids, and my kids love me."

Fallins said she tries to serve as a role model, especially for girls who may not have thought they could be firefighters like she was. She brings in photos from her firefighting days to encourage the students.

“I try to tell the girls in the eighth grade and girls that are seniors that you can do it just like the guys can. If you put your mind to it, you can do it,” Fallins said.

Anyone interested in applying to be a bus driver can do so here. Starting pay is $18.20 per hour. Specific questions about the bonus should be directed to the payroll department.