Union leader urges Fayette County board to move bus monitors, drivers to 8-hour schedules

Barbara Priest, president of the Fayette County Education Support Professional Association, used the board's public-comment period to ask the Fayette County Board of Education to support a transportation proposal that would move over 200 bus monitors and drivers from six-hour, 30-hour weekly schedules to eight-hour, 40-hour schedules.

Priest told the board the change would allow affected employees to receive pay for eight hours on holidays and to access personal and sick leave benefits at the full-day rate. "If this motion is approved, over 200 FCPS bus monitors and bus drivers will be able to have a 40 hour work week and get paid 8 hours on holidays, personal days, and sick and emergency days," Priest said.

Priest said she first raised the issue with the superintendent in September and thanked district staff who had discussed the matter with her, including the director of transportation and the chief operating officer. She framed the requested change as a morale and safety issue, saying transportation staff play an "essential role in ensuring safety, comfort, and the well-being of our students" and that recognition and fair scheduling would boost retention and morale.

Chair Murphy acknowledged the comment and the meeting proceeded to other business. The board did not take immediate action on the public comment at the Dec. 19 meeting; consent and routine items were approved later in the session.

Next steps: Priest asked the board to support the motion when it appears on a future agenda. The transcript does not record a district response committing to a schedule change or a timeline for considering the proposal.