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Caswell board approves up to $250 reimbursement for employees obtaining CDL licenses; questions about funding for activity drivers
Summary
The board approved a policy to reimburse eligible employees up to $250 for CDL Class B (PNS endorsement) costs if eligibility criteria are met; discussion centered on whether local school budgets will be used when employees drive activity buses or do not meet state-funded route requirements.
The Caswell County Board of Education approved a revised procedure to reimburse employees for approved CDL-related expenses up to $250, provided employees meet specified conditions: complete two months of employment driving a bus, have no driving incidents during the probationary period, and drive a minimum of five regular yellow bus routes. The policy excludes activity bus drivers from counting toward the five-route minimum for state-funded reimbursement.
Transportation staff said the reimbursements will be paid from transportation funds when the employee meets the state-funded criteria; if an employee does not qualify under those state criteria (for example, activity-only drivers), the principal and school would make the reimbursement decision from local funds. Board members expressed concern that principals at underfunded schools might not have the local funds available and asked staff to clarify DOT physical costs; staff agreed to add language specifying DOT physical allowances (an $80 option through the district provider, but total receipts may be reimbursed up to $250).
A motion to approve the amended language (adding DOT-physical clarity) was made and carried by voice/hand votes; no roll-call tally was recorded on the public transcript. Board members asked staff to provide numbers on how frequently activity drivers are paid locally so they could evaluate budget impacts.
Why this matters: The policy is intended to expand the pool of employees eligible to drive school buses, helping address transportation staffing, but it shifts some funding discretion to building principals if state-funded criteria are not met.
Source: Discussion and motion, SEG 494–708; vote recorded as carried by the presiding officer during the meeting.
