Chartiers Valley school board votes to furlough dozens of bus drivers: "That's something you can't replace."

A split vote by the Chartiers Valley school board left mixed reactions from the board, employees, and the community, as many were surprised to find out more than 40 employees were furloughed. In a 5-4 vote by the board, 41 transportation employees were furloughed. Apart from that, the vote was on hiring a separate transportation provider.

There was a mixed reaction from the meeting as parents and community members packed the room to express their concerns and dissatisfaction with the decision.

"That's what the disappointment is here, did anyone take the time to think about the kids, let alone the kids who have special needs," said parent Erin Kozy.

Among those furloughed were bus drivers, mechanics, bus monitors, and van drivers.

Their workers' union, PSEA, says this decision came out of nowhere for many. PSEA and the district were close to a June 30 date for negotiations. Everyone was only notified of the furlough list 24 hours prior to the vote, which they legally must announce. 

Still, the timing was not favorable.

"We were preparing to bargain at the end of this month to continue negotiations to get a fair contract for all of our members – bus drivers, transportation, custodians, maintenance workers, and the district completely flipped everything upside down," said Annie Briscoe, PSEA Region Advocacy Coordinator of the Western Region Pittsburgh Office.

In their place, the board approved a subcontractor, the private transportation provider, First Student, to take over services. The change to a private company is bringing concerns.

"They could bring in people from all over who are not familiar with the district. They could have a different driver in the morning and a different driver in the afternoon, so the consistency, there's no way the district can guarantee that," said Briscoe.

Those concerns are on top of the 41 employees who have now lost their jobs. 

One parent, Erin Kozy, shares her reaction to the vote on Wednesday morning after not being able to attend the meeting. She says her daughter is a Chartiers Valley student. She shares that her daughter has special needs and has Down syndrome, so getting on the school bus can create difficulties. Kozy says luckily, this year her daughter has been able to bond with the driver and is now concerned about the changes.

"They had a lot of unique jokes with each other that really encouraged my daughter to get on the bus and not be so concerned about the drive and getting to school. They really took the time to get to know her and were compassionate with her; that's something you can't replace," said Kozy.

Kozy, like many other parents, fears how the changes can impact their children after building safe relationships with their driver. Now she's being forced to make difficult decisions along with other parents on what's best for their kids.

"There are other options out there, and I think that's the thing Chartiers Valley needs to understand, you're certainly not the only option out there," said Kozy. "I do not plan on sending my daughter, who has a disability, onto any type of transportation with a stranger that we don't know."

PSEA says they are looking into taking action, as they do believe it was an unfair labor practice. 

Chartiers Valley School District did provide a statement on the vote, saying:

"The District's collective bargaining agreement covering transportation employees expired in the spring of 2024. Since that time, the District and the union have engaged in good-faith negotiations in an effort to reach a successor agreement. Those negotiations have now extended for more than two years without the parties being able to resolve material terms of a new contract. During this period, the District has experienced significant organizational transition, having been served by two superintendents and three business managers. Despite these efforts across multiple administrations, the parties have been unable to reach agreement on the fundamental terms necessary to conclude a contract.

At the same time, the District's transportation operations have faced mounting operational challenges. The District has experienced a significant loss of bus drivers, reducing our capacity to reliably staff routes. Additionally, the existing fleet of buses continues to age, raising concerns about the long-term sustainability and safety of District-operated transportation.

Taken together, the prolonged absence of a collective bargaining agreement and the operational pressures on District-run transportation have created a situation in which the Board of School Directors has determined that a change in approach is necessary and appropriate. After careful deliberation, the Board has made the decision to transition student transportation services to a qualified private transportation provider. This decision was made with the best interests of our students and families as the foremost priority, ensuring that Chartiers Valley students continue to receive safe, reliable, and consistent transportation to and from school."