How to hire a school bus monitor

How to hire a school bus monitor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step school bus monitor hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a school bus monitor job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new school bus monitor
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a school bus monitor do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the school bus monitor you need to hire. Certain school bus monitor roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a school bus monitor to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a school bus monitor that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of school bus monitors and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of School Bus Monitor	Description	Hourly rate
   School Bus Monitor	Bus drivers transport people between various places—including work, school, and shopping malls—and across state or national borders. Some drive regular routes, and others transport passengers on chartered trips or sightseeing tours.	$9-15
   Bus Attendant	A Bus Attendant performs a variety of support tasks to ensure that passengers get to receive optimal services. Although the extent of their responsibilities depends on their place or industry of employment, it typically revolves around answering questions about bus routes and other services, directing passengers on and off the bus, assisting passengers with special or particular needs, adjusting seats, and handling documents... Show more	$10-15
   Bus Driver	Bus drivers are mainly responsible for safely transporting passengers to their destinations. Bus drivers must be attentive and highly focused to monitor road situations at all times, avoiding any cause of accidents... Show more	$13-21

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Behavior Problems
   • CPR
   • Safety Rules
   • Bus Safety
   • Kids
   • Behavior Issues
   • Patrol
   • Medical Problems
   • State Transportation
   • Wheel Chair
   • Seat Belts
   • Lunch Room
   • Child Safety

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Certify in CPR in case of an emergency.
   • Monitor children on and off the bus also cdl driver training
   • Provide appropriate intervention in conflict situations according to ISS standards; notify principal or office when necessary.
   • Assure responsible adult meets children when getting off the bus.
   • Keep daily observation records of childrens developments.
   • Assist children on bus with ESE problems

   More school bus monitor duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your school bus monitor job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A school bus monitor can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, school bus monitors' average salary in florida is 38% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level school bus monitors 39% less than senior-level school bus monitors.
   • Certifications. A school bus monitor with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a school bus monitor's salary.

   Average school bus monitor salary

   $12.84hourly

   $26,704 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level school bus monitor salary

   $20,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 25, 2025

   Average school bus monitor salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$34,150	$16
   2	Alaska	$33,758	$16
   3	California	$32,816	$16
   4	Connecticut	$31,515	$15
   5	New Hampshire	$30,790	$15
   6	New York	$30,554	$15
   7	Oregon	$30,346	$15
   8	Rhode Island	$29,492	$14
   9	Colorado	$29,247	$14
   10	Illinois	$29,014	$14
   11	New Jersey	$28,636	$14
   12	Michigan	$28,143	$14
   13	Ohio	$26,551	$13
   14	Arizona	$26,417	$13
   15	Pennsylvania	$25,645	$12
   16	Missouri	$25,185	$12
   17	Texas	$22,144	$11
   18	Florida	$21,059	$10

   Average school bus monitor salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Boston Public Schools	$45,374	$21.81	18
   2	Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES	$35,327	$16.98
   3	Westview High School	$30,368	$14.60
   4	Waterloo School District	$29,926	$14.39	3
   5	Children's Home Society of Florida	$29,465	$14.17	5
   6	The Nutrition Group	$29,160	$14.02	12
   7	School	$29,013	$13.95	1
   8	First Student	$28,615	$13.76	1,125
   9	Krapf Group	$28,552	$13.73	8
   10	GO Riteway	$28,517	$13.71
   11	First Transit	$28,491	$13.70
   12	DATTCO	$28,272	$13.59	152
   13	Student Transportation Inc.	$28,101	$13.51	86
   14	Community Action Organization	$28,056	$13.49	2
   15	Gorman Learning	$27,939	$13.43
   16	Andover Public Schools	$27,939	$13.43	6
   17	Distinctive Schools	$27,912	$13.42	2
   18	Auburn City Schools	$27,792	$13.36	1
   19	Lewiston Public Schools	$27,554	$13.25	7
   20	Broward County Public Schools	$27,459	$13.20	9

4. Writing a school bus monitor job description

   A school bus monitor job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a school bus monitor job description:

   School bus monitor job description example

   Under the guidance of the High School Principal and the High School Resource Officer, the building monitors help to ensure the safety and well-being of the student population and assist the administration and faculty in maintaining a positive school environment.
   Responsibilities
   
   * Supervise the orderly flow of students in school building and on school grounds, as assigned.
   * Check lavatories, hallways, stairwells, parking lot and other locations within the building and on school grounds on a regular basis to insure students are on task.
   * Monitor students during the lunch period and ensure students behave appropriately and dispose of their trash in an orderly fashion.
   * Monitor student tardy table to ensure tardy students sign in and are accounted for.
   * Monitor visitors to the building insuring they sign in and out as required by School Committee Policy.
   * Monitor students during detention duty.
   * As assigned, pick up students from classrooms and escort them to the main office to meet with the Assistant Principals on discipline/attendance issues.
   * Periodically check the faculty copy rooms to report any machine malfunctions or supply needs.
   * Understand all student and faculty rules and reports all violations and/or student behavioral incidents to the Building Principal, the School Resource Officer or school administrator.
   * Perform any similar duty or responsibility as assigned.
   
   Qualifications
   
   * Ability to take direction from the building principal and to work cooperatively with administration and faculty in providing a healthy, safe and positive environment for students.
   * The ability to understand the behavioral expectations established in the Student Handbook and other related documents and to work with the adults in the building to address student issues if they arise.
   * An ability to work with and understand adolescents and to de-escalate potential confrontations.
   * Duties require a high school diploma and work experience with adolescents preferred.
   
   Supplemental Information
   
   Hours of Work:
   
   Building monitors will be hired on a part-time basis. Start and end times may vary according to assignments, but all will fall between the hours of 7:00 AM and 3:00 PM.
   
   Building monitors will work for 182 days; the 2 days before school is in session and the 180 student day calendar. Otherwise, building monitors will report to work only when school is in session for students and will not work on school holidays or during vacation periods.
   
   Physical Elements:
   
   Duties may require prolonged standing and/or walking while at work.
   
   Andover Public Schools (APS) seeks candidates who embody our ethos, which includes valuing the identities of all students, high expectations for all students, teaching excellence, collaboration, innovation, respect, and responsibility.
   
   APS is committed to hiring and supporting a racially and ethnically diverse faculty and staff. Racially and ethnically diverse teachers produce a myriad of positive outcomes for all students, especially the most historically marginalized students.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find school bus monitors for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any school bus monitors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level school bus monitors with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your school bus monitor job on Zippia to find and recruit school bus monitor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit school bus monitors, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new school bus monitor

   Once you've decided on a perfect school bus monitor candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new school bus monitor. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a school bus monitor?