FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: John Dyrcz
August 7, 2024 505-554-8679


Grants, NM – American Federation of Teachers New Mexico President Whitney Holland and Cibola County Federation of United School Employees, Local #2153 (CCFUSE) President Tia Harris released the following statements:

“Ensuring that our students are transported to school each day by highly skilled professionals should be a goal of every K-12 district in New Mexico. Facing a shortage of incoming drivers and trouble retaining current drivers, local leadership of CCFUSE worked with District leaders to find a solution that best serves both employees and students. The result was a 24% pay increase for all drivers, representing a historic $25/hour starting pay, a $5,000 signing bonus for new drivers, and a $2,000 retention stipend for veteran drivers. These wins are further evidence that union and administrative collaboration can achieve real solutions for serving the Grants-Cibola County educational community,” said Holland.

“Members of CCFUSE, myself included, are very pleased with the positive partnership we have established with the District around recruitment and retention of our bus drivers. Rural-serving school districts have unique challenges when it comes to student transportation, and we believe that our District really stepped up to the table with our drivers to find solutions for these challenges. We are already seeing an uptick in applications and more of our veteran drivers are planning to stay. It is a win-win situation for everyone involved,” said Harris.