Student Transportation Report
Parents, bus drivers share common concerns
Parents and school bus workers want safe school bus service,
provided by a well-trained, stable workforce, while keeping school dollars in
the community. That’s the conclusion reached by parents and school bus drivers in
“Safe, from Home to School: The need for Student Transportation Reform in
Minnesota”. The report
summarizes a survey and research conducted by members SEIU Local 284,
Minnesota’s largest
union of school bus workers.
Shane Allers,
Executive Director of SEIU Local 284, said the report highlights common
concerns. “As we await the release of the Legislative Auditor’s report on student
transportation, this Community Audit suggests that bus drivers and parents have
clear ideas about what’s wrong with student transportation: out of control
costs and increasing safety concerns.”
Over 79 percent of parents surveyed said it is important that
their child have a regular driver who they are familiar with. Unfortunately, 17
percent said their child had already had three or more school bus drivers this
year. One parent from
Cambridge,
Minnesota wrote: “I think it's
important that the kids know their bus driver and know who to trust in an
emergency. I think they build a relationship with the bus driver just like a
teacher or other school professionals. If they have a different driver everyday
they may not feel comfortable going to them with a problem like bullying or [a]
safety issue.”
The report also confirms previous studies showing that
Minnesota school
districts pay an average 10 percent premium to outsource student
transportation. The annual per-student savings of operating transportation systems
fully in-house was $45 (9.5%) per student for districts with less than 4000
students and $33 (11.22%) per student for districts with more than 4000
students. The report also cites data collected by the Minneapolis Public Schools
that indicates those higher prices come with higher rates of driver turnover, less
experienced drivers, less reliable service and more accidents.
What causes high turnover and an inexperienced workforce? Of
bus drivers surveyed who plan to quit (for reasons other than retirement) within
two years, 89 percent are being driven out by low wages and benefits, including
47 percent because of insufficient hours or the lack of summer work and 26
percent because they lack access to health care. Of those without private
health insurance, 17 percent said they are uninsured and 83 percent receive
health insurance through Minnesota Care or another government program. Parents
and bus workers are concerned: over 97 percent want private companies to report
on the turnover, training, and experience level of their workforce when
applying for public contracts.
Bob Cook, a school bus driver in the
Edina public schools, helped plan and conduct
the survey with co-workers and parents. “Drivers were really happy to know that
someone was concerned about what they were concerned about. Parents were really
happy to be asked their opinion. It was very gratifying.”
Click here to read the Student Transportation in Minnesota Report. 