GREENE, IOWA – Overpayments to bus drivers in the North Butler School District led to complaints – and an explanation from the district’s Superintendent, Joel Foster:
It has been brought to my attention that several bus drivers and some community members are unhappy with the pay that bus drivers receive from the district. This memo is written to present all the facts with explanations.
Several weeks ago, it was brought to my attention that the bus drivers had been inadvertently overpaid for activities-against board approved pay scale and policy. When missing one of their routes, they were being paid 2.5 hours at both the $19.24/hr for their route, plus an additional $11.67/hr (activity rate) for that same time span, so $30.91/hr for 2.5 hours, then the activity rate of $11.67 after that. I made the decision that this needed to stop-effective immediately, as the business manager and myself have no authority to work outside the bounds of board policy and approved pay/wage scales. We did not ask for any of the overpayment back. No members of the board, the business manager, or I were aware that this was happening.
You will note that board policy 412.1 it states- The board will determine the compensation to be paid for the classified employees’ positions, keeping in mind the education and experience of the classified employee, the educational philosophy of the school district, the financial condition of the school district and any other considerations as deemed relevant by the board.
On May 19, 2015, the board adopted the classified pay scale for 2015-16. Here is what was adopted for the transportation department.
| Transportation | ||
| Transportation Director | $40,000 | |
| Bus Route Driver | $19.24 | 2.5 hours per route |
| Activity Practice Bus Shuttle Driver | $22.34 | 1 hour per trip |
| Activity Route Driver | $11.67 | per hour |
| Coach Bus Activity Driver | $22.25 | Per activity |
| SPED Van Driver | $15.28 | 1 hour minimum |
The drivers are guaranteed to get 5 hours a day at $19.24/hr, whether they work for the 5 hours, or they get their routes done in 3.5-4 hours. That guarantees them $96.20/day. That works out to be $17,316/yr for 5 hours per day, and approximately 180 days, and then they also have activities on top of that if they choose to drive them. You will see that nowhere in here is there a bonus or stipend on top of the regular rate. When I arrived here, we did not have a pay scale to use for classified staff.
As a result of the complaints of several bus drivers, the board met in exempt session on Monday May 11, 2016. The board decided to go back and pay the drivers at $19.24/hr for everything they had driven. This results in each bus driver getting any where from an extra $80, to an extra $1169 in their next check. The drivers were told this on Wednesday May 11th. The total that will be paid out is $2877.78 extra from the General Fund.
When I arrived here the district was in dire financial straits. We have worked diligently for the past 2 years to fix that. We must balance fair pay with budgetary issues. I believe the Board has tried to do that.
Folks there are a lot of good things going on at North Butler. Our kids are winning contests through TV Stations, scoring Level 1 rankings in Music contests, creating magnificent artwork, and our staff has worked to ensure that our kids have the things that they need to be successful when they leave North Butler.
I would hope we can continue to move positively.
