School Bus Drivers Worried About Outsourcing

Saucon Valley School District bus drivers and their supporters packed a school board this week, but few answers were forthcoming about the board's decision earlier this year to explore "outsourcing" transportation services to a private company.

Meeting attendees were told that a request for proposals (RFP) by the district has a deadline of May 3.

At that time, bids will be opened, assuming any are received.

David Haynes, speaking on behalf of the union that represents the school bus drivers, said members are "disappointed" that the district would choose to even explore the option of selling off its fleet and dismissing its 45 drivers.

Firing union employees and replacing them with outside contractors "would save the district no money whatsoever," Haynes contended.

"We already have everything in place. The only thing you do is pay an hourly rate and a small, small health care package," he added.

Board member Lanita Lum said she believes the board has a responsibility to taxpayers to investigate whether or not money could potentially be saved by floating an RFP.

"In my opinion this should be for financial accountability to the community," she said of the RFP.

Board member Edward Inghrim agreed.

"I view this as our fiscal responsibility," he said. "We're not trying to eliminate any jobs."

Board member Bryan Eichfeld said he will only support a proposal to outsource district transportation services if it will save the district "a lot of money."

"If we sell the bus fleet, we can’t go back, so there has to be significant savings," he said. "Conversely, we have to look at what's fiscally responsible for the district."

A representative of the bus drivers' union—the PSEAESP, or Pennsylvania State Education Association Education Support Professionals—handed out flyers before the meeting, which stated that the drivers "are taxpayers who pay over $25,000 every year in property taxes."

The flyers called drivers "your friends and neighbors" and urged meeting attendees to "contact your school board representative and tell them to stop their efforts to terminate our employment with the district!"