(The Center Square) – Caddo Parish Public Schools is hosting a job fair on Monday specifically targeted at recruiting bus drivers and bus attendants.
Records indicate there were 280 bus drivers and 100 bus attendants in the parish for the 2023-24 school year. As the parish looks to increase those numbers, its job fair has some special incentives for those who join the team.
As student safety is a top priority for Caddo public schools, they are offering free CDL training and a $500 sign-on bonus to individuals who meet the requirements and join.
The Center Square was unsuccessful prior to publication of getting up-to-date numbers on job openings in the Transportation Department from Caddo Schools Transportation Recruiter Monique Dunn.
Overall employment data for Caddo Public Schools reports as one of the largest employers in the region, with nearly 5,000 staff members. The National Center for Education Statistics said for the 2023-24 school year, the parish had 58 schools and 35,044 students enrolled.
When breaking those numbers down a bit further, Caddo Parish has roughly 2,192 teachers, according to the most recent data from NCES. Of that 2,192, 18 are prekindergarten, 92 are kindergarten, 1,080 are elementary, 587 are secondary and 414 are ungraded.
Louisiana has an average teacher total of 258, and nationally, that number sits lower at 180 to put Caddo’s numbers into perspective. The student to teacher ratio is around 16 students per teacher in Caddo.
Most recent revenue data from 2023-24 shows overall total revenue is high at $609 million, which equates to around $17,000 per student. Of that, $130 million in federal revenue, $275 million in local revenue and $203 million in state revenue. While revenues sit at $609 million, expenditures are not far behind with $549 million. These expenditures include $67 million for student and staff support, $289 million for instructional expenditures, $51 million for administration and $91 million for operations and food services.
