Sheridan Back to School: Pay for Bus Drivers vs. Coaches
Sheridan Back to School: Pay for Bus Drivers vs. Coaches
Coaches and new superintendent cash in
For the last several years, the Sheridan School District has faced a school bus driver shortage and a deficit in football wins.
This year, the school year begins with a slate of new coaches and enough drivers for bus routes that covers 622 square miles in two counties — Grant and Saline.
Because of driver shortages during the last several years, students often stood on the side of roads waiting on the bus. Parents often received no warning from the district about late or no-show buses. Other times, students didn't arrive home until dark.
One major reason for the bus driver shortage was, and still is, bus driver pay.
South Arkansas Reckoning asked Andy Mayberry, the Sheridan School District's communications director, in mid-July about this year's pay rate for bus drivers.
“Bus driver pay is $20-$28.05 per hour based on years of experience as a bus driver,” Mayberry wrote in an email. “(Note: drivers are paid based on the actual hours driven. The average bus route is about 3.5 hours per day for 180 days.)”
Mayberry also said, “Dennis Emerson has indicated that we will have every route covered at the beginning of the school year. However, that includes Mr. Emerson, Ms. Leann Sallee (the district’s transportation coordinator), and our mechanics driving routes. The district is seeking five additional drivers to relieve some of those mentioned who have other duties.”
The school district continues to advertise for drivers, Mayberry said.
He emailed a social media post from June and said a new one would be posted soon.
Indeed, another one was posted in late July.
Plenty of coaches
Last December, the district hired Kevin Kelley, a legendary high school football coach. Kelley coached at Pulaski Academy, a private school in Little Rock, from 2003-2020 where he compiled a 216-29-1.
The Bruins won nine state titles under Kelley., who was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.
Read more about Kelley from our archives. (Paid subscribers only.)
Kelley earned $50,834 for his six-month contract last spring with the Sheridan Yellowjackets. For one year as “director football operations” Kelley earns $99,190.
Kelley brought his long-time coach Adam DePriest with him to help coach the Yellowjackets. The Sheridan School District pays DePriest $88,224 as assistant senior head football coach and teacher.
Rick Treadway returns to Sheridan this year as the school's athletic director. Treadway coached at Sheridan for 23 years before leaving for Pulaski Academy to join Kelley's coaching staff. His salary is $8,374.17 a month or $100,490 a year.
The school district also hired Chad Pitts as the school's new superintendent to replace Karla Neathery, who left for a job at the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators.
Pitts was previously an assistant superintendent at the school. His contract includes the use of a vehicle for personal and work use and a $173,005.20 salary.
The Sheridan School District's board of directors has invested millions of tax dollars to build a first-class football program over the last few years.
In the spring of 2022, the directors voted to replace the turf and scoreboard spending approximately $725,000 of tax dollars in exchange for pledged donations during a major bus driver shortage.
Constant talk swirls in Sheridan about a new indoor sports facility. The question: How much will that cost?