ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, November 8, 1996 TAG: 9611080101
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: FINCASTLE
SOURCE: MATT CHITTUM STAFF WRITER
The Botetourt County School Board conceded Thursday night there are problems with the bus drivers' pay scale that could cause some to be underpaid, but declined to do anything about it until next year.
"I can see where the drivers have a legitimate gripe," Assistant Superintendent Rod Dillman said at the board meeting. "But they signed a contract. They knew what their salary was going to be."
"It seems to me that we adopted the scale as it is, which makes it correct," said board Chairman Jim Ruhland.
All members of the board agreed that fixing the scale should be a priority when the budget process for the 1997-98 school year begins, but that did little to appease the drivers.
"They want us to wait a year before they change it," said driver Carol Loope. "And no one's talking about back pay, either."
The county's 60 drivers have been on a quest for better pay, and benefits equal to what other school system employees get since they got their first paycheck in late September. That's when they realized just how little money they were getting, despite heavy increases in road time and distance.
The county went to a middle school system this year and opened a new school in the Read Mountain area. When the drivers realized they were getting less pay for more work in some instances, they threatened to walk out.
Their scale has six ranges for time and mileage. For time, each pay range is 29 minutes except for the fifth one, which is 59 minutes. The mileage ranges increase in 10-mile increments except for the fifth one, which is 25 miles.
The drivers complain that once they get in that fifth range, the school system can increase their work by leaps and bounds without paying them more.
Dillman said the problem has existed for the last four or five years but no one ever complained. The drivers say that's because no one ever had a long enough route for the problem to be encountered until this year.
Some drivers have threatened to quit and leave the school system in a bind. The bus mechanics and transportation department secretary were already having to fill in on some routes.
Ray Hubbard and another driver did quit, but both returned. Hubbard said he received an apology from the school system, but the main reason he came back was calls from parents concerned about their kids having a regular driver.
Last week, representatives met with Dillman, acting Superintendent Robert Reece and Transportation Supervisor Larry Hall and were promised more input in the next budget process.
Thursday night, School Board member Sally Eads asked if there was anything the drivers wanted that didn't cost money and could be taken care of right away.
They only thing anyone could come up with was an employee handbook, and on that point at least, the drivers seem to have won a small concession.
"They probably do need an employee handbook," Dillman said.
LENGTH: Medium: 58 linesby CNB