by Jackie Lansdale
President, Red River United
Whether it is a family, a team, an organization, you can only function to the level of the dysfunction. Clearly, the most dysfunctional department in the Caddo Parish School System is the Transportation Department. It has been that way for a very long time.
While we could look to finger-pointing, citing those who have gaslighted the problems for years, we choose instead to bring the following ideas of what we believe will move this dysfunctional unit into one that serves boys and girls while showing dignity and respect for those who provide their safe transportation.
The Red River United School Bus Drivers stand united in the following:
1. Caddo Administration shall define the overall mission of the Transportation Department. All transportation employees — management, drivers and mechanics must recognize it is our collective mission to safely deliver students to and from school in a safe and timely manner and to recognize the value of our service to the learning environment. We must all be safe, timely and positive.
2. There shall be no divisiveness between drivers, office staff and mechanics. Bus drivers must be treated with respect. Bus drivers are the commander of their equipment. and mechanics are a support organization for the commanders. We need a survey for each driver to complete indicating level of satisfaction with the service they received from the garage.
3. The Transportation Department shall be aware of the status of the fleet. Contractors must be held accountable for returning appropriately repaired buses in a timely manner. Local dealers should not be given more than 10 days on a repair. Drivers want their buses back. We buy buses to transport students and not to sit on a parking lot.
4. Good bus drivers want to be held accountable, but they want it to be done in a fair and respectful manner. Good work should be acknowledged. Confidentiality must be a priority. Refrain from making broad corrective statements. Instead, use separate counseling sessions.
5. Keep employees informed. Send emails regarding updates on fleet status, budgets, road conditions, etc.
6. Substitute drivers should be constantly assessed to see where they are in the process. Check points shall be established, and sub drivers shall be informed and offered continuous assistance.
7. Instead of immediately going to punitive action, offer programs geared around remedial training. Drivers are distracted and challenged by rowdy students. Many times, there is just too much going on, and this creates an environment for mistakes. Offer programs so that before we punish for mistakes, we offer helpful strategies.
8. Listen to drivers’ concerns and actively try to fix problems —especially as it relates to safety around the bus and talking to principals who are slow to respond to disciplinary requests. Most importantly, solicit input and admit/quickly fix when a mistake is made.
9. Pay drivers fairly and timely. Review route structure. Review pay schedule. This is a part of respect.
10. Bus drivers are Caddo, too. WE are Caddo.
In Solidarity,
GOREE’S RESPONSE:
T. Lamar Goree, Ph.D
Superintendent
Caddo Parish Public Schools
Caddo Parish Public Schools is committed to ensuring our students are transported to and from school by high-quality drivers and staff members committed to safety and customer service. Caddo continues to work to hire and retain drivers for the more than two million miles we travel each year. The job can be fast-paced, hectic and require great problem-solving, but the reward of being the first and last face students see from Caddo is immense. We know as a district we must do our part to support our drivers. That begins with providing great equipment, including 250 new buses coming to the district through the successful approval of a millage in May 2019. Additionally, we are actively hosting job fairs and recruiting bus drivers and have filled all of our regular routes. The issue we face currently is covering absenteeism through a healthy pool of substitute drivers. Next week a new class of substitute drivers begins with 26 candidates, and we believe this will make a great impact in addressing our needs. Finally, we are excited to work with our drivers to improve communications and trainings. We will begin customer service training for our transportation staff to not only improve employee relations but to better meet the needs of our families. All of this is done to ensure we are supporting our students.
This Article was published in the October 25th issue of The Inquisitor.