Bus drivers urge improved safety, pay and managerial support at Petersburg board meeting

PETERSBURG — During public comment at the Oct. 1 Petersburg City School Board meeting several bus drivers said they face unsafe working conditions, low pay and poor managerial support and asked the board for concrete assistance.

Multiple speakers who identified themselves as bus drivers described incidents and chronic problems. One driver said she was struck in the head by a high-school student and described receiving little follow-up support after reporting the incident. Others said staffing shortages force drivers to cover extra runs, that a previously paid bonus program had been removed, and that some drivers receive part-time pay even while working full-time hours. One speaker, Larissa Ball, described long tenure with the transportation department and said she had not seen equitable treatment for drivers.

Speakers requested clearer management support, more resources for special-education routes and attention to unsafe behaviors on buses (including fighting, smoking and objects thrown at drivers). Jackie Evans, who said she works on special-education routes, asked for more oversight and resources for SPED buses. Vanessa Graves and other speakers said drivers feel unseen and unsupported and urged the board to act.

A district unit director and other board members acknowledged the comments, said they had received calls and reports from drivers, and urged the administration to pursue restructuring in the transportation department. The board’s staff member who visited other districts described examples of best practices (retraining, reassigning retirees as supplemental workers, incentives and career pathways that turned drivers into managers). Board members and staff agreed to look at management, contract language and incentives as possible remedies.

No formal action was taken during the public-comment period; presenters said they would continue to raise the issue and expect administrative follow-up.