VITAL POLICY – OPINION – Jefferson County School Board Rejects Bonus Pay for School Bus Drivers Despite Ongoing Employment Crisis

The Jefferson County School (JCS) system is hemorrhaging employees like a bleeding hog at a slaughterhouse. In a recent 18-month period, JCS turned over 274 employees, teachers, maintenance workers, classroom aides, support staff, and most critically, school bus drivers.

Teachers and teachers’ aides are leaving because of the frustration with their jobs, top-down management practices, multiple obstacles to doing their jobs, relative low pay, and coping with little support on student discipline just to highlight a few reasons. Bus drivers are leaving the system to obtain health insurance, something Jefferson County Schools does not provide – but other counties do.

The school bus drivers that choose to remain loyal to Jefferson County endure several frustrating circumstances, doubling of certain routes, rowdy students that exhibit behavior that threatens the safe operation of busses, and weak responses from certain school administrators that give warnings instead of bus suspensions when students are referred for bad behavior, and no paid health coverage. The saving grace of our school transportation system is a Transportation Director that is well-liked, highly qualified, and widely respected across the state in school transportation circles. Jefferson County is lucky in this respect; and it has enabled our school system to retain bus drivers despite the other negative circumstances they face.

Jefferson County is at the end of its rope on school bus drivers.

It takes 90 days to train and certify a school bus driver at taxpayer expense, if you can get someone with a pulse and clean criminal record to apply for a hellish job that offers few benefits. There are no reserve drivers left, few applicants, and no good options.

After a proposal was made, three school board members, Doug Ibbetson, Josh Cameron, and Moose Solomon, properly voted at the last meeting to take $40,000 out of the school system’s multi-million-dollar fund balance to provide a modest $500 bonus to full time bus drivers, $250 for part-time drivers, essentially a gesture of good will to retain drivers until a permanent solution could be made, a move that, if approved, would have sent the message that bus drivers are appreciated; it failed to get the 4 votes needed for approval. Bill Jarnigan, Nancy Zander, Randy Bradley, and Danny Martin VOTED NO.

That vote sent the wrong message to our school bus drivers and should be reconsidered immediately.

If additional bus drivers leave our school system, routes are likely to be canceled and parents will be forced to provide transportation to and from school for their children. Concerned citizens should contact the director of schools as well as school board members at the following links: Director of Schools – Jefferson County School District (jc-tn.net), or school board members at: School Board – Jefferson County School District (jc-tn.net)

David Seal is a retired Jefferson County educator, recognized artist, local businessman, 917 Society Volunteer, and current Chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party. He has also served Jefferson County as a County Commissioner and is a lobbyist for the people on issues such as eminent domain, property rights, education, and broadband accessibility on the state level.