Hiring bus drivers for the 2012-13 school year will be ongoing even as the transportation department of the Vicksburg Warren School District undergoes management shifts.

A bus sporting a sign “School Bus Drivers Needed” sits atop the hill at Mission 66 and Baldwin Ferry Road near the district offices.

Transportation Supervisor David Keen will retire June 30, and his replacement has not been named.

District trustees declined May 31 to approve the promotion of Fred Barnum, the choice of Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Swinford, to fill the job.

Keen was not available to comment Tuesday, but secretary Patsy Hammock said operations, including hiring for the coming year, will continue without interruption.

“We hire all year long,” Hammock said. “We lose people for many different reasons, moving or illness. We lost two employees last year to death, which is very unusual.”

In addition to Keen, the department has two assistants. About 130 drivers man routes all over Warren County, and some take two to three routes driving elementary, junior high and high school students morning and afternoon, she said.

Hammock said 10 to 12 drivers are needed, and applications may be obtained at the transportation department office at 1001 Mississippi 27, behind Beechwood Elementary School. Information is available at 601-636-1478.

Applicants must hold a commercial driver’s license with passenger and school bus endorsements. Pay ranges from $11.12 per hour for beginning drivers to $14.46, the top of the scale for drivers with 26 years’ experience. A minimum of four hours a day is guaranteed.

Drivers also must have clean driving records, and background checks are performed, said Hammock.

Following the May 31 board meeting, Swinford said the transportation supervisor position would be re-advertised. It is listed among open positions on the VWSD website, with a salary range of $62,206-$97,206. Applications will be accepted until June 22.