Durham bus driver shortage rolls into 3rd day; superintendent apologizes for salary issue

Nearly 50 school bus drivers did not show up for work Wednesday in Durham, forcing parents to arrange their own transportation. On Thursday evening, parents were informed that bus services would be impacted again on Friday.

Posted 2:26 p.m. Jan 17 — Updated 11:10 a.m. Jan 19

Monica Casey, WRAL Durham reporter,

and

Willie Daniely, WRAL reporter

DURHAM, N.C. — Durham Public Schools said the bus driver shortage will continue Friday, and the district is asking parents to provide transportation to and from school again for their children for a third straight day.

Nearly 50 school bus drivers did not show up for work Wednesday in Durham as protests continue over salary issues in the district.

Avis Langley, one of the DPS bus drivers not on strike, told WRAL News that employees are striking because they want to be compensated fairly for their work.

"They were given bonuses that are being taken back because they said that they were overpaid, or their raises were too high," she said.

Langley said that positions like bus mechanics, cafeteria staff, supervisors, and more help schools run properly.

"As a driver without a mechanic, legally, our buses are not supposed to move," she explained. "Without supervisors, drivers don't know what they're supposed to do."

Turquoise Parker, media coordinator at Lakewood Elementary School, told WRAL News that the pay issue is now hurting students, not just staff.

"They are missing some important instruction, they are missing breakfast and lunch, and now they're missing [the] opportunity to be around their peers," she said.

'I think our employees are hurt'

Dr. Pascal Mubenga, superintendent for Durham Public Schools, apologized to employees Wednesday and promised he and other district leaders are working to solve the problem.

"I think our employees are hurt," Mubenga said. "Some of them called in sick today. We understand and we are really working with them ... I'm very sorry that we got to this point."

Bus drivers, bus supervisors and mechanics called out Wednesday after some employees' salaries were affected by a change in how DPS staff are rewarded for years of experience in other jobs.

"Our intent was very pure, to make sure that we do a salary study to make sure that our employees are well compensated when it comes to surrounding districts in our city and county," Mubenga said.

According to Mubenga, district leaders were calling bus drivers Wednesday afternoon to try and make things right while securing bus transportation for the rest of the week.

"We understand that we have a duty here to make sure our babies get to school and get educated," Mubenga said. "We're making those phone calls to work with our staff so that tomorrow we'll have a full staff being able to transport our students to school."

Mubenga said Durham's bus mechanics and supervisors, along with drivers, are crucial for day-to-day busing operations.

Mubenga said bus mechanics from other school districts were called in to help on Wednesday morning. Bus mechanics are especially needed in extreme cold weather, and temperatures were in the teens and low 20s on Wednesday.

"Inflation really hurt us big time and our employees deserve every penny to be able to live in Durham," Mubenga said.

All Durham Public Schools were operating on a two-hour delay on Wednesday due to the threat of black ice, extreme low temperatures and wind chill. Before 9:30 a.m., the district shared the following message:

"Due to a significant bus driver shortage today, DPS is asking parents to assist with transporting their students to school. We apologize for any inconvenience. We are working hard to rectify this situation."

Durham Public Schools sit-in highlights need for pay raises for classified staff

School bus transportation was also limited Wednesday afternoon, according to a statement from DPS:

"Students that rode the bus this morning will have bus service home this afternoon. If your child only rides the bus in the afternoon, they will need to be picked up from school at regular dismissal times."

Last week, some DPS employees told WRAL News the district is changing a policy that rewards employees for their previous years of service in other school districts or in the private sector. They said some employees are making a lower salary, being pushed into a different step on a salary schedule that does not honor years of service in other places.

One of the impacted employees was Barbara Tapper, who has worked as a physical therapist with DPS for most of her career.

Tapper also worked at Duke as a physical therapist contracted to the school system. She said the new pay scale takes her from Step 30 down to Step 11, which is $1,600 less per month.

The district said years of service with the state, including state agencies and work at other school districts, still counts toward salary.

"To our employees, we are so sorry," said Bettina Umstead, chair for Durham Public Schools. "We hear you ... our intent with the classified study was to make sure all employees got a raise, because we know that's well deserved."

Umstead said an investigation is underway into the salary cuts some employees have received.

The change impacts "classified" staff, which includes occupational therapists, custodians, bus drivers and others.

"Our classified employees are the folks that make sure our buildings run, our children get to school, that our buses are fixed, that they are served lunch ... you all are the heartbeat of our schools, and we're so sorry for this incident," Umstead said.

Earlier this month, Gov. Roy Cooper’s office announced the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Grant Program is giving $26.7 million in federal funds to buy 114 electric school buses.