Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
School board discusses part-time field-trip driver pool, directs job description be drafted
Summary
Board members discussed creating a pool of part-time bus drivers dedicated to field trips and athletics to extend trip hours and reduce cancellations; human resources was asked to draft a job description with a goal to have the program ready by the next school year.
The school board held an informal meeting April 8 and discussed creating a pool of part-time bus drivers whose duties would be limited to field trips and extracurricular transportation, board members said.
Board member (identified in the transcript as) Mrs. Duvall said the changes aim to address scheduling limits that now restrict field trips to morning windows and to reduce canceled games and contests caused by lack of available drivers. “You can only do a field trip. You can leave at 09:30. You have to be back by 01:30,” Duvall said, describing the current time constraints.
Duvall proposed hiring part-time drivers with no regular daily routes who would be available for full-day field trips, sports trips and other events. She said part-time status would likely exclude these drivers from full benefits and therefore lower costs, and could appeal to applicants seeking supplemental hours or flexible schedules. “If they are part time, then, and we kept them part time, then they wouldn't, you know, have access to the benefits Correct. The other costs. So it would keep costs down,” one staff member said in the discussion.
Board members and commenters discussed operational details: estimating how many drivers would be needed, creating a job description, and surveying principals to estimate current and potential field-trip demand. A staff member said the board should examine how many field trips schools currently take and ask principals how many they would schedule if the time constraint were eased.
Board members set an informal timeline for implementation: Duvall said she would like the job description and a plan wrapped up in May so the program could begin in the next school year. Human resources agreed to prepare a job description for a part-time bus operator to return to the board for further discussion.
The discussion did not include a formal motion or vote; the transcript records staff agreement to draft and return a job description for board consideration.
