Last fiscal year, Orange County schools received a 5.42% increase in local funding. This year, the system is considering asking for a whopping 14.64% increase. This is just the local portion of funding. According to this story, the proposed budget “includes $85,000 to study the salaries of school bus drivers.” Let’s cut to the chase here. If the system feels it needs to give bus drivers a raise — and I’m open to the idea that it might be necessary for recruitment due to our booming economy and very low unemployment rate in Orange — then officials should say so. First, I’d be surprised if Orange is the first system to investigate driver pay, and second, that it takes $85,000 to access the data.