Some Asheville school bus drivers get 250% stipend increase after another near-walkout

ASHEVILLE - At risk of losing several of its "dual-employee" bus drivers, Asheville City Schools increased the drivers' monthly stipends by 250% for the rest of the school year, bumping a $200 allowance up to $700 a month.

The discussion and subsequent unanimous school board vote Feb. 6 came as four of the district's dual-employee drivers, of which there are 17, threatened resignation from their afternoon routes if the stipends were not increased. Two other dual-employees were also considering resignation, according to interim Superintendent Jim Causby.

It's a loss that ACS Transportation Director Amanda Rigsby said "would cripple our bus system," and could even result in a decrease of state funding.

All resignations have been rescinded since the affirmative vote.

Previous coverage:What's going on with Asheville, Buncombe school bus driver shortages?

The vote resulted not only in the stipend's increase for dual-employees who drive morning and afternoon, but the same $500 increase for all full-time bus drivers, and an increase from $200 to $350 for dual-employees who drive only the morning or only the afternoon.

It's a short term solution and will be effective for the remainder of the 2022-23 school year, retroactive to January 2023.

Dual-employees are those who put in hours elsewhere in the district, in the classroom or doing custodial work, and then hop on their bus routes in the morning, afternoon or both — many clocking 55 to 65 hours a week, according to Rigsby at the Feb. 6 school board meeting.

They are employees like Chanda Robinson, an instructional assistant at Claxton Elementary School. She's been with the district for 27 years in the classroom, and a dual-employee for 15, when she started driving bus routes morning and afternoon.

There's pros and cons, Robinson told the Citizen Times, but the best part is interacting with the first-grade students in her classroom, though recently her days have gotten even longer.

“It can be a struggle. And now it’s an even bigger struggle with working 11.5 hours a day," Robinson said.

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She's been averaging 55 to 57 hours a week, with her days starting at 6:30 a.m. on her West Asheville bus route, pivoting to the classroom from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and back to her route until 4:30 p.m. After she drops off her last student, she's back to her instructional assistant duties, sometimes as late as 6 p.m.

Robinson was among the drivers to submit her resignation for her afternoon route, which she has since rescinded.

“It’s gotten to the point that some of them ... have actually given us a resignation from driving afternoons, which would mean we would have to shut down considerably more than what we’ve been offering,” Causby told board members. If the stipends were not increased, resignations were to be effective Feb. 10.

"This is timely … this is something we need to have done as quick as we can, because we need to be able to provide transportation for our families."

All told, Causby estimated the increased stipends will come to $55,000, to be taken out of the general fund.

More:With Gene Freeman exit, ACS interim superintendent Jim Causby addresses community

Dissatisfaction fueled by payroll transition from county to city schools

The situation was driven by a recent transition that was a subject of a different near-walkout at the start of the school year, when the ACS transportation system, and its payroll, was moved entirely from Buncombe County to Asheville City Schools.

Causby said the transition did have some benefits, like the introduction of overtime pay, but also resulted in the loss of some wages and benefits that were accrued across both districts.

Like teachers and other school employees, bus driver base pay is set by the state. ACS then supplements state base pay based on years of service.

Schedule for bus driver pay in ACS:

• One-nine years of service: $17.30 an hour.

• 10-19 years of service: $18.10 an hour.

• 20-24 years of service: $18.61 an hour.

• 25+ years of service: $19.10 an hour.

Robinson echoed the impacts of the transition — a shift that resulted in her having to pull more hours in her instructional assistant duties, with the strain of driving the bus exacerbated by short staffing.

When fully staffed, the district has 29 bus drivers. There were nine vacancies as of Feb. 8.

"The short staffing has impacted myself greatly," she said. "Some parents aren’t as understanding when it comes to delayed buses. I have had combined routes, which results in maxed capacities, and that’s where (bad) behavior starts to occur. For a driver, the high stress levels, it takes a toll on you mentally and physically.”

But the Feb. 6 school board vote left her feeling "very happy and satisfied with the outcome."

"It reassured me that caring people still exist," Robinson said. “I want people to realize that it now alleviates some of my income that was lost in my primary role as an instructional assistant."

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Robinson noted this was a short-term solution.

"This issues will only resurface going into 2023, ’24,” she said. “So if a permanent financial solution is not found for dual-employees, we will be stuck in the same boat next year. But for right now, it has helped fill in those gaps income-wise for me.”

Comments from Causby and board members echoed this, many of whom pointed out the stipend increase must be the beginning of larger discussions around ensuring all employees receive a livable wage.

More:Former, current Asheville city teachers talk salaries, burnout. How much do they make?

Related:New living wage: $17.70 for Asheville, Buncombe County, Just Economics says

Looking to long-term solutions

Causby said ACS staff and the board would pursue solutions through their budget development process, as well as working to hire more full-time bus drivers, and slowly move away from the dual-employee model.

With two public-facing walkouts in one school year, Causby said he wasn't currently concerned about a developing pattern.

“I think we are OK for now," he said. "We’re certainly going to have to work through something on the budget. It could pop its head up again next year if we don’t make sure it’s addressed permanently and not just a short-term fix."

Of other changes needed in the district, Robinson said she wants to see increased communication between leadership and their staff.

“They need to check in with us before making random or sudden changes for the district,” she said. "If this would have been the case last year, it wouldn’t have caused overwhelming feelings of distrust between dual-employees and some leadership."

But through the difficulties, she did note that Causby has had an open line of communication with the dual-employees, listening to concerns and acting on requests.

“I’m optimistic that change will happen," she said.

Want to drive a school bus?

Of the transportation jobs currently advertised by the district, there are full-time, part time and trainee bus driver positions open. Applicants must be eligible to obtain an N.C. school bus driver license and receive TSA certification. Visit the website https://tinyurl.com/4zfmykmf for more information.

Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email shonosky@citizentimes.com or message on Twitter at @slhonosky. 

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville school board hears bus driver demands, increases stipends