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Board hears transportation reorganization plan aimed at route efficiency and new staff roles
Summary
District leaders presented a reorganization of the transportation department to consolidate routes, add routing and operational coordinator positions, and hire additional Transportation Support Specialists; officials said job changes are intended to maintain driver employment while improving routing efficiency and in‑house trip capacity.
BERKELEY COUNTY, W.Va. — Berkeley County Schools presented a reorganization plan June 2 that would create new routing and operations coordinator roles, add clerical support in the transportation office, and hire multiple Transportation Support Specialists (TSS) to improve routing, reduce subcontracted trips, and centralize operational responsibilities.
Director of Transportation Eric Kiesecker described a proposed model in which one director would manage two high‑school feeder patterns and the other director would manage the remaining two. The plan would create a dedicated routing coordinator to build and monitor routes (general and special education), shift existing bus supervisors into routing roles where appropriate, and add a secretary to process invoices and manage substitute drivers.
Kiesecker said the changes are intended to reduce fragmented routing, bring some outsourced special-education and McKinney-Vento trips in-house, and improve communication between routing, maintenance and operations. “We felt the study yielded two things: there’s efficiency to be had as it relates to routing, and there is a need for operational and managerial efficiency,” he told the board.
Board members asked how consolidation would affect drivers’ jobs. Superintendent Dr. Sachs stressed that consolidation of routes “does not mean we reduce the number of bus drivers employed by Berkeley County Schools,” and that the district would seek volunteers to take on adjusted routes so that all current employees retain positions.
The personnel package considered that evening included multiple new TSS positions: administrators said 11 TSS hires are planned. Board members and administrators also discussed compensation for support staff who work additional days or non‑traditional schedules, and administrators said summer work assignments will help the transportation department complete routing updates and maintenance coordination.
Why it matters: transportation is one of the district’s largest operational expenses and directly affects daily schedules, student access and special-education service delivery. The district said improved internal route management could reduce subcontracting costs and improve service reliability.
What’s next: district leaders said job descriptions are being finalized and positions will be posted. The board approved the personnel actions presented on June 2, including the listed TSS hires and related transfers.
