TAMPA — Workers who care for Hillsborough County's most vulnerable schoolchildren earn less than their counterparts in many Florida school districts, according to a Tampa Bay Times analysis.

In the wake of two student deaths last year, people who are studying the district's special education program have cited pay and training as weak spots.

The starting wage for exceptional student education aides and attendants in Hillsborough: $8.42 an hour — less than school bus drivers are paid and just above minimum wage. And some workers do not get benefits if their jobs are temporary.