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Bus drivers, unions and parents press SFUSD on health coverage, Zoom transport contract and equity cuts
Summary
Multiple bus drivers and union representatives told the board that health benefits scheduled to pause create untenable gaps during the pandemic; drivers and advocates also criticized the district's expanded contract with a rideshare vendor and urged restoration of funding for African American programs.
During the public-comment period at the Aug. 11 San Francisco Unified School District board meeting, multiple bus drivers and union representatives urged the board to preserve health benefits for drivers and to avoid lapses that would occur if contractor coverage is paused while in-person learning is suspended.
Meg Phelps, a school bus driver for 35 years, said she is 67 and cannot afford to retire without employer-provided health insurance. "I am now 67 years old and I cannot afford to retire... I can't go without health insurance in the middle of a pandemic," she told the board. Megan Adams, another driver, said members were informed the district would not continue wages and benefits until in-person learning resumes and said that could force drivers to seek other employment and create gaps in readiness.
Jim Charas, identified as a school bus driver, criticized SFUSD's relationship with a rideshare provider he described as 'Zoom' and alleged the district had increased that contract by $1,000,000; he argued such use of non-union, misclassified drivers is exploitative and unsafe.
Union leaders and parent advocates urged the board to use available city or philanthropic funding where possible to keep drivers on coverage during the pandemic. Susan Solomon, president of UESF, and others asked the board to consider the practical implications of contractor layoffs on operations and student safety.
Speakers also urged the district to restore cuts to the African American Achievement and Leadership Initiative and to invest in school-based social workers and mental-health supports to prevent student disengagement in distance learning.
Board members acknowledged the testimony and staff later said they will continue examining budget options and allocations; no immediate board reversal of the benefit decision was recorded during the meeting.
