Monroe County Schools Still Facing Bussing Issues Even With Available Drivers

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The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –

Tennessee schools are continuing to feel the effects of the current labor shortage, and bus routes are one of the areas of concern in regards to staffing issues. Monroe County Schools are still attempting to figure out just how students will find a way to school, but it does not seem to be due to a lack of drivers.

Last week, Monroe County Schools leaders finally awarded six busing contracts, but nothing has been officially finalized. Those contracts were given to a combination of individuals and a transportation company.

The following routes were awarded under contract:

• Tellico Plains Bus Route 35 – Frances Brannon
• Tellico Plains Bus Route 23 – Shannon Brown
• Tellico Plains Bus Route 25 – Samuel Ray Brown
• Tellico Plains Bus Route 46 – Zeb Brown
• Vonore Bus Routes 37 and 37A – T&L Wood Bus Service
• Vonore Bus Route 38 – Adrian Miles

For nearly fifty years, Monroe County bus routes have been covered by Cooley Bus Service. However, recent disagreements regarding pay have caused a disagreement between the system and the transportation service.

“We have been loyal to this county for 50 years. We have worked and worked and worked worked, “ said Scott Harold. Harold helps his wife’s family run the company. 

“We just feel like we have just been shut down and nobody wants to listen to us,” Harold continued.

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The dispute stems from the school district’s attempt to change the way the company is paid. According to James Miles, who usually drives three bus routes for the district, the new payment method would increase pay for some buses but decrease it for others.

“We’re not making nothing,” Miles said. “Our contractors have not had a raise in over 20 years.”

Miles continued, “We need to be compensated for what we do. We’ve got about a 30% to 35% increase in our parts, labor, tires, anything we purchase.”

Kristi Windsor, Director of Monroe County Schools, says they met with the company three times in the spring to attempt to negotiate a contract. She claims the system was paying for services not rendered when the district paid on a contract for five days of transportation even though school only met four days per week.

“The main purpose of the district in the most recent contract negotiations was to ensure that we are being provided the services that our transportation dollars are being spent toward and that we are able to have more oversight over how bus services are provided,” said Windsor.

School board member Dean Williams, who serves as the chairman of the transportation committee, says it is not about saving money.

“We’re not trying to cut the transportation budget. Transportation budget is $2.2-$2.3 million. We’re not trying to cut a thing,” Williams said. “We’re just trying to protect everybody.”

Parents are concerned that political feuds are bringing harm to the students.

A Monroe County resident told The Tennessee Conservative, “We are in the middle of July and our children will not have a bus to pick them up. Things are so crooked in Monroe County, Tennessee, but the children of this community are the ones who are suffering.”

About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative  ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career.  Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others.  He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History.  Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com