ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, October 3, 1996 TAG: 9610030061
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: FINCASTLE
SOURCE: MATT CHITTUM STAFF WRITER
NOTE: Above
After making their Wednesday morning runs, 42 of Botetourt County's 60 school bus drivers parked their buses and vowed not to move them again until the drivers felt they were "treated like other school employees."
The threat didn't last long.
After a meeting with Transportation Supervisor Larry Hall, the drivers decided against abandoning the kids at the county's 10 schools.
"I'm not going to punish the kids," one driver said.
"My kids are at school, too," another said.
But while the drivers may have put the brakes on their initial threat, they aren't backing off their demands, which they plan to present to the School Board at its next meeting Oct. 10. If the demands are not met then, the drivers say, they may stage a walkout.
At the top of the list is pay. Some drivers claimed during the Wednesday meeting they could make more money bagging groceries, and they wouldn't have to be responsible for 50 kids. Their health insurance is inferior to that of other school employees, they say, and there are so few substitute drivers - Hall's secretary and three mechanics had to drive buses this week - that they often have to work when they're sick.
Their dissatisfaction isn't new, but it reached a higher level this week when the bus drivers picked up their first paychecks of the school year.
The drivers knew a proposed 6 percent raise was cut to 3 percent in last year's budget process, but they still thought the extra work they're doing this year would make a difference in their pay.
"I felt like I'd been slapped in the face when I got my paycheck Monday," Barbara Helms said.
Because Botetourt went to a middle school system and added a new school this year, many bus routes were lengthened.
Hall said 20 drivers got pay increases because they have longer routes.
Driver Charlie Stull said his mileage and time on the road doubled, but his pay increased by only 15 percent, or about $1,300 per year.
The bus drivers' pay is based on how far they drive and how long their routes take to complete, from the time they pick up the first child until they drop off the last one.
Some drivers say they'd rather be paid hourly, from when they pick up the bus to when they drop it off again. They also want to be paid for mandatory safety meetings, as well as for washing and fueling the buses.
Drivers are supposed to get more money with seniority, but seniority raises for all noninstructional school employees were frozen this year for the eighth time in nine years, Hall said.
Hall said driving a bus is really part-time work, but added, "I would like to see them paid more."
After meeting with the drivers Wednesday morning, he said they may be able to get a jump on winning raises in next year's budget.
The drivers also would like those changes to include better insurance. Other school employees get Trigon Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance at no cost. The drivers are insured by a different company, and they must pay half the cost.
The School Board got an earful about busing at its September meeting, when parents complained about buses constantly running late.
Driver Becky Ballard said Wednesday that she has been on time only three times this year. She refuses to speed, but said some of the routes demand it.
Hall said the drivers have been instructed not to speed, and that the tardiness problems have been fixed on all but one route.
As for the drivers' other complaints, Hall said he believes the School Board will listen next week "with open ears."
LENGTH: Medium: 71 linesby CNB