School staff propose semester-based stipend for employees who cover bus routes

Transportation supervisors told the board during a work session that chronic absences and medical leaves have forced salaried staff to drive regular routes in addition to their normal duties, and they proposed a semester-based stipend to ease the burden.

"If they drive 21 to 40 days, I'm asking that you would give them a $60 compensation for that day. If they drive 41 to 60, $90. If they drive 61 to 90 ... it's a $120," said Speaker 1, who presented the compensation model and example payouts. The proposal would not pay extra for 1–20 days of driving each year and would reset at the end of each semester.

Speaker 1 said the district is facing unusually high short-term and long-term absences — from knee and shoulder surgeries to cancer treatments — that leave supervisors and a small number of mechanics covering routes. "This is not to make you get rich. This is to make you get home or to compensate you," Speaker 1 said, adding that an example calculation under current conditions would yield roughly $4,500 for one heavy-duty driver (identified in discussion as "Bob"), about $2,000 for another employee and $780 for a third.

Board members raised concerns about two potential problems: people taking routes primarily to earn extra pay, and the administrative complexity of tracking partial-day coverage. Speaker 5 noted the district’s existing sub-pay practice: "Subs historically have been paid $27.50 every time they cover," and board members estimated a typical sub day costs about $180, which the speakers said still makes a stipend a comparatively economical option in many cases.

Speakers also discussed pipeline and training obstacles that limit the pool of drivers. The group said Indiana requires a 2½-day Department of Education course with limited seating and a stringent CDL medical exam for school-bus operation; speakers put the road test at roughly $100 and the license fee around $36. To expand training capacity, the district reported it now has four trainers and plans a recruiting open house on Jan. 8.

The work session concluded with agreement to bring a formal recommendation to the Jan. 12 board meeting that would include the stipend scale, a proposal to retroactively pay eligible staff for the current semester if the board approves, and clear HR and payroll steps for processing payouts. "We'll make sure to have it really clear," Speaker 7 said. No final board action was taken during the work session.