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Braxton County board approves MOU to cover CDL training for prospective bus drivers
Summary
Responding to a shortage of drivers, the board voted to authorize an MOU that allows the district to pay CDL training costs up front for candidates who commit to driving for Braxton County Schools for at least one year; the board emphasized a legal agreement for repayment if the driver does not fulfill the commitment.
Facing a persistent shortage of school bus drivers, the Braxton County Board of Education voted to authorize an MOU enabling the district to cover commercial driver’s license (CDL) training costs up front for candidates who agree to drive for the district for one year.
Board members described past classes with high attrition and debated whether the district should continue reimbursing participants after completion or pay costs in advance to remove a barrier to entry. "I don't even know if it's legal for a business to support, you know, make donations towards, towards that program itself," the Chair (speaker 1) said during the discussion about payment logistics; other members pressed for an MOU that would require repayment if candidates fail to fulfill the service commitment.
A board member (speaker 11) moved that the administration draft and approve an MOU to pay CDL fees for individuals who commit to drive for Braxton County Schools for one year and include recourse to recover costs if terms are not met. The motion was seconded, and the board approved the MOU by voice vote. The superintendent and staff agreed the MOU will be drafted by the district's legal and finance staff and will include repayment language and an administrative process for issuing purchase orders or invoices.
Board members stressed monitoring and the ability to scale back the program if too many participants fail to complete training or if budgetary strain emerges. The transcript records the board asked that the MOU include clear obligations and a process for recouping funds if individuals do not meet the one-year driving commitment.
The board recorded no roll-call vote in the transcript; the motion was announced as approved by voice vote. The administration was directed to draft the MOU and return with final language and any required procedural steps for payment and collection.
(Next steps: district staff to prepare the legal MOU, specify funding/reimbursement process and present final paperwork to the board.)
