Madison County board rescinds new transportation pay schedule after bus drivers urge return to prior stipend structure
Jackson-Madison County School Board · November 7, 2025
Summary
Following extended public comment from bus drivers who said an $18 stipend did not fairly compensate extra runs, the Jackson-Madison County School Board voted to rescind the newly adopted transportation salary schedule and revert to the prior schedule with one modification for substitute pay.
The Jackson-Madison County School Board voted to rescind a recently adopted transportation salary schedule after multiple bus drivers told the board the change would cut crucial pay for extra runs and harm route coverage.
Superintendent Doctor King recommended the board rescind the new schedule and revert to the previous one with a single change: credentialed substitute drivers would be compensated at the full bus driver pay rate, while uncredentialed substitute drivers would remain at the previous substitute rate. The board approved that recommendation in a roll-call vote.
The issue drew extended public comment from transportation staff. "As bus drivers, we receive $18 a stipend for performing any extra runs outside of our assigned route," said Ina Miro during the public-comment period. "$18 doesn't sound like a whole lot of money until you look at it from the fact that we're covering full routes." Miro described covering 20 to 30 additional runs a week and said many drivers routinely exceed their six-hour base shift by 15–30 minutes to complete work.
Other drivers said the stipends supported household expenses and unpaid work related to student safety and extracurricular runs. "Our daily pay rate plus my stipends combined is how I take care of my household," said a speaker identified in the transcript as Miss Anderson. Emmanuel Hughes (identified in the record as Emmanuel Hughes or Hodge) said removing stipends would do "a grave misjustice" to busing schedules and driver morale.
Board discussion focused on process and legal requirements for rescinding a prior board action. The board—s adopted rules of parliamentary procedure (page 61) were cited during the meeting; the clerk read that, when previous notice is not given, rescinding an action requires either a two-thirds vote or a majority of the entire membership. Board members also debated whether to delay implementation so families and employees would have time to plan.
After debate, a motion to rescind the newly adopted transportation salary schedule and revert to the prior schedule with the superintendent's modification passed on a roll-call vote. The motion, as stated on the record, directed the item back to the transportation committee for further study and included the superintendent's payment method change for substitute drivers.
Board members said they plan to include bus drivers and staff in any follow-up work, and some members recommended any substantive pay changes be aligned with the fiscal-year budget cycle so they would take effect in 2026 rather than midyear.
The board—s action restores the prior pay schedule immediately (per the motion on the record) while committing to a review process that includes drivers and transportation staff.
