Report advises Warrensburg Central School to consider outside transportation service
By Michael Goot, The Post-Star, Glens Falls, N.Y. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
"Although we prefer that the district remain as a district-operated transportation system, we believe that outsourcing should be considered if substantive changes cannot be made to the program," the report from Transportation Advisory Services states.
Among the consultant's recommendations are to pay the bus drivers an hourly wage instead of a per trip fee, and attempt to negotiate items out of the next contract such as six personal days and family insurance coverage for drivers in retirement.
Transportation expenses have risen from about
Superintendent
"For the most part, we're doing pretty well. There's a couple of tweaks we'd like to see," he said.
Many of the recommendations involve items that would have to be negotiated with the CSEA union, according to Goralski.
The report recommended the district change the compensation from per trip to a straight hourly wage. Drivers are paid per trip, which is defined as a 1 {-hour period. Most drivers have three trips per shift, although the actual length of time worked varies.
That creates a wide variation in the effective pay rate. For example, a driver who has one trip is compensated for 1 { hours, even though the trip takes a half-hour. The driver is being paid
"Given the above analysis, if pay was based on an hourly rate, the district could be advertising a part-time job at over
The consultant also said paid time off for what are part-time employees creates a problem because these drivers have to be replaced by substitutes, who may not be as familiar with the routes or the students.
Other suggestions were to implement rewards for non-absenteeism and eliminate the mechanics driving buses, which contributes to overtime. The district should also address the so-called "legacy costs" of offering health insurance benefits to family members of employees in retirement.
The consultants pointed out the district cannot receive state transportation aid for these benefits, which totaled
"These are part-time employees who may work approximately three to four hours per day, for approximately 185 days per year, yet qualify for district-provided health benefits after 15 years of work," the report states.
Goralski said school officials are discussing a recommendation to change the management structure of the transportation department. Currently, the drivers are reporting to a person whose title is "head mechanic," but who drives a bus as part of his responsibilities. An assistant automotive mechanic also drives a route. That leaves the head mechanic alone for a portion of the day, when he should have another person to assist with some repairs for safety reasons.
The head mechanic also should not be a member of the union because he has a supervisory role.
The 19-vehicle fleet is in good condition, according to the report, with the average age being three years and average mileage just shy of 42,000 miles.
However, the report also faulted the poor inspection rate of the buses. The percentage of buses that had to be removed from service ranged from a high of a nearly 24 percent failure in 2008-09 to a low of 2.8 percent in 2010-11.
___
(c)2014 The Post Star (Glens Falls, N.Y.)
Visit The Post Star (Glens Falls, N.Y.) at www.poststar.com
Distributed by MCT Information Services
Wordcount: | 746 |
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News