Modesto school bus drivers say tensions high, take complaints to board

Changes at Modesto City Schools’ transportation center have angered longtime drivers, who say poor management, stress and overwork are making their jobs far more difficult. Their complaints come as school bus accidents countywide have risen sharply.

Modesto City Schools accident numbers for the school year are running about average, according to district figures. But the more serious accidents investigated by the California High Patrol, compiled by county and calendar year, in mid-May have already eclipsed the total number for 2014.

Stanislaus County has had 18 school bus crashes the CHP investigated since January, four of them involving Modesto City Schools buses, said CHP public affairs Officer Eric Parsons. In all of 2014, there were 17, five involving Modesto buses. In 2013, there were 26, including six with Modesto buses, by the CHP’s count. What’s behind the rise this year is not clear.

By the district’s count, accidents in which a Modesto City Schools bus driver was found at fault, including the minor dings-and-scrapes variety not tracked by the CHP, have stayed steady at 10 for the past three school years.

The drivers poured out their frustrations at a packed board meeting May 11, calling out a dispatcher and a supervisor with claims of rudeness and policy changes.

Bus drivers are the first school employees students see every morning, and should be able to count on support from management, said driver Debra Montez, a 14-year veteran.

“There are times students can be having a bad morning and they can show up at your bus with one shoe on, one shoe off with tears in their eyes and you try to comfort them and tell them their day will get better, or you have a high school student that confides in you she’s pregnant. You try to encourage them and give them proper guidance. So you see my duties go beyond just driving. It’s a very rewarding and challenging job,” Montez said.

“I love my job, being a bus driver, (but) with the things that are happening at this point, I’m actually considering retiring, which is really sad for me,” said Janet Garvin. Garvin, with 27 years on the job, is Modesto’s most senior driver.

Transportation workers have filed 11 grievances in the past 12 months, said Aaron Castro, president of the California School Employees Association’s Modesto chapter. “In my history, that is phenomenal. I’ve never seen that much in one department,” Castro told trustees.

One of the driver complaints was related to a memo issued by the head dispatcher Feb. 6, telling drivers to map their routes for field trips, suggesting they use Google maps or a smartphone navigation app to find their way. The memo was rescinded, effective April 20. “Dispatchers are available to provide routing for field trips,” the district noted in response to questions from The Bee.

Drivers and the district agree that part of the problem is a shortage of drivers, a statewide issue. Modesto City Schools has four job openings for drivers, and 10 to 16 drivers are out each day on leave or are sick, said the district in an emailed statement.

To manage the workload this year with no substitute drivers available, and up to 40 percent of its driving workforce out or ineligible to drive field trips, the district has been chartering all weekday field trips, said spokeswoman Becky Fortuna.

The field trip eligibility list is perhaps the sorest point for drivers, who complain that a rule long on the books, but only recently enforced, keeps those found at fault for dings or scrapes from getting extra work driving field trips for a full year.

Eight drivers out of 36 have been disqualified from the extra work, the district said. Modesto drivers, who make $16.24 to $21.26 an hour in straight pay, said they can make about $5,000 a year in extra pay by driving field trips.

In a union meeting at the transportation facility, drivers said knowing one ding could cost them thousands of dollars adds to workplace strain they say makes a difficult job harder.

“Safety for kids is still going to be our top priority,” Garvin said. “Being a driver, you have to be at the top of your game.”

This story was originally published May 17, 2015 at 3:26 PM with the headline "Modesto school bus drivers say tensions high, take complaints to board."