TAMPA, Fla. — In Hillsborough County, school district superintendent Addison Davis has suggested a raise for bus drivers to more than $16 per hour.

The increase is proposed to try to deal with a bus driver shortage that has caused some school districts, like Pasco County, to shuffle bus schedules to make sure students are getting full educational days.

It would make Hillsborough bus drivers the second-highest paid in the Tampa area, only behind Manatee County.

The pay raise has district leaders hoping it could settle a shortage in drivers, which the district has been dealing with for the entire school year.

“Because of the shortage, I decided to get back on the bus in the morning and help my teammates,” said Stephanie MacNeel, a bus driver union representative who decided to start driving again.

A pay raise will help the district attack the bus driver shortage in two ways, MacNeel said.

First it may help retain bus drivers currently working for the district, and second, it could attract new drivers in and around Hillsborough County.

“We are thankful everyone recognized how hard we are working out here and they've showed it with this raise.  So come joins us.  We want you here.  We can't wait,” MacNeel said.

The district says it can afford a raise for bus drivers if the money is pulled from COVID-19 relief funds.

However, once the funds run out, it is unclear how the district will pay for the raises.

The school board is set to discuss the numbers this week.