Having recognized teachers who earned the Teacher Incentive Allotment this year, a veteran bus driver thanked the Ector County ISD board for the 3 percent raise they were offering, but asked trustees to consider bus drivers.
Janet MoodyPrentiss, who has driven for 18 years, said Tuesday night the district is facing a critical bus driver situation this coming school year. She asked for more for bus drivers.
At the end of last year, MoodyPrentiss said they lost 10 drivers in a force that was already short. There was one day that she couldn’t make it to work due to unforeseen circumstances.
Several times this year when drivers called in, routes could not be covered so dispatchers and mechanics ran the routes.
Most drivers were doing two secondary schools and some drivers were doing three or more routes. That meant students weren’t picked up until 6 p.m. or later.
MoodyPrentiss said she was met by a family who gave her a bouquet of flowers and a meal, expressing appreciation for her taking their children to and from school every day.
In a similar vein, teacher Transition Learning Center Dallas Kennedy thanked the board for the proposed raises, but said he’d give his raise back if hourly and paraprofessionals could make more.
For him, Kennedy said a raise means his kids can have tea when they go out to eat instead of water. But for hourly and paraprofessionals, it means a car or mortgage payment and groceries.
He advocated for incentives like gift cards.
Kennedy said if the district gets more funds from the state at some point this year, he urged the board to take action for paraprofessionals and hourly employees.
“Please look at their compensation. If y’all can find a penny for them, please scratch it out,” Kennedy said.
