ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, June 6, 1996 TAG: 9606060060
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG
SOURCE: LISA APPLEGATE STAFF WRITER
A winter chill, reminiscent of the snow piles from this winter and the work days missed because of school closings, blew through the Montgomery County School Board meeting Tuesday night.
About 30 school bus drivers came to tell board members they'd been left out in the cold. School administrators planned to dock pay in the June paycheck for five days missed this winter.
"We just ask that the school show the same consideration as given to teachers and pay for the five days missed this winter," said Judy Yon, who represents the drivers.
Superintendent Herman Bartlett said they've always handled days missed this way; Yon said she can't remember a time when this many days were subtracted from one paycheck before.
Administrators did agree to pay the drivers for three of the five days if they who would attend an in-service meeting and thoroughly clean their buses.
Member Mike Smith motioned to pay the drivers for the other two days, saying he was concerned people who are paid hourly wages are severely impacted by missed days. Teachers are salaried employees and were paid for the missed days.
Bartlett warned that request could set a dangerous precedent.
Teacher's aides, cafeteria workers and custodians work on an hourly basis as well. Funding missed days for all those workers could run in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and would have to come out of the instruction budget.
"The administration has said 'We realize you missed some days and we'll make some of that up,'" said member Bernie Jortner. "There is a contract they signed that says quite clear that they're paid for days worked."
In the end, the board voted 6-2 to allow administrators to give the three days in pay, but without cleaning buses or attending the in-service training.
Transportation Director Denise Lacey said later that many of the drivers had already begun picking gum off the seats and scrubbing bus floors to get the three days pay.
Also Tuesday night, the board voted unanimously to request up to $30,000 from the Board of Supervisors. The School Board wants to hire another architectural and engineering firm to verify the facility-use study produced by Kinsey, Shane & Associates.
Last week, the board found a flaw in the survey on the acreage of the Blacksburg Middle School property. The incorrect estimate has put plans for a new school on hold until the board can determine if the land is within state requirements.
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