Pulaski County School Bus Drivers Go to Work

The Pulaski County School District dodged a bullet Thursday evening. Bus drivers were threatening to strike over a salary dispute, but it didn`t happen at Thursday`s meeting. The bus drivers union, PASS, says the district broke a contract that they reached at the start of the school year, in August. At an emotional meeting, the district decided not to strike right now, but their crisis team and executive board would come to work on Saturday to decide whether or not to strike later. The district has gone back to using the salary plan from last school year, meaning drivers will receive less money in their paychecks. The payment plan from the 2000-2003 school years calculated pay based on mileage from the first child pick up until the last school drop off. This year`s contract instead used the total route mileage. But it`s the old plan the district has gone back to because of cost concerns. And drivers say they should be paid for the whole route. "Cause I`m responsible for the bus from the time I step in it, til the time I step out of it. I`m also responsible for the children," said Norman Jewett, a bus driver. "It`s not so much the amount of money, it`s that they agreed," said Dena Simmons, a bus driver. But for the district it is about the money. In a letter the superintendent sent tot he union, Dr. Don Henderson said the coast of paying drivers based on total mileage was mistakenly projected to cost the district $74,508. But, the letter says, it`s costing more than double that amount. Members of the district said they could not comment Thursday afternoon. The union says at the meeting, the district did offer to keep this year`s plan for another 20 days. But they didn`t respond to the offer, because the union says it`s a stall tactic.