School bus issues drive Barnum debate

More than 50 people turned out for the Barnum school board meeting Tuesday, the majority in a show of support for school bus drivers. The crowd came as the board considered contracting with a private company for transportation services.

It's something the district began exploring last summer, when it was down to three bus drivers. It takes eight to drive all the Barnum routes. By the start of the school year, there were four. Now, the district is up to six with the potential return of a seventh.

A visit to the district website shows what the board is investigating. A link across the top of the page leads to two requests for bids: one for the purchase of buses from the district's fleet, the other for quotations for bus transportation services.

Barnum school board chair Jessica Unkelhaeuser said the board is still exploring its options.

"We're honestly just taking information, so I can't speak for the board," she said Tuesday about the busing debate.

One of five speakers to address the board Tuesday, AFSCME Council 65 labor representative Tom Whiteside likened private school bus companies to cable TV.

"They offer you this great introductory rate, and the school districts oftentimes sell their buses," he said. "Then when they come to re-up the contract, they jack up the prices. This is going to impact your ability to manage your budget."

It's not easy to rebuild a fleet of school buses and drivers, he said.

It's also not easy to placate angry parents when their children get bumped off a route or have to spend hours on a bus, Whiteside added. With no substitute drivers, if a route is canceled because a driver is absent, parents have to find other ways to get children to school. Board member Patrick Poirier said the district has lost 11 students over busing issues. That equates to more than $100,000 in state funding, he said.

The Barnum school district isn't alone in its struggles to find bus drivers.

Esko started the school year down one driver out of 10 routes, then another driver retired in October. With one route already covered by long-term substitutes, transportation director Laurie Groth divided the in-town route between three routes to get to nine, trying to limit the impact on riders. Since then, the district hired another full-time driver and still has another route covered by substitutes.

"I'm lucky to have subs available," Groth said.

Cloquet, which contracts with Cloquet Transit for transportation services for 15 routes, is also short on drivers. Cloquet Transit has all hands on deck, with both the owners and the transportation director driving routes. Still, they've had to eliminate one route and consolidate others, leading to longer ride times and some students not arriving at school in time to eat breakfast.

Carlton School District has used 4.0 School Services since 2018, the same year the district sold its buses to 4.0 for $250,000. Its union members lost their benefits and union-negotiated wages. Superintendent Donita Stepan said they have issues such as parent communication, behaviors and weather, but staffing buses isn't a problem.

"We're probably one of the only [districts] who can say this," she said after pointing out that 4.0 has enough drivers for Carlton's six routes.

Cromwell-Wright has also used 4.0 - based out of St. Peter, Minnesota - since 2014, according to the 4.0 website.

Groth said private bus companies solicit the Esko superintendent at least a couple times a year, but the Esko superintendent has been committed to keeping it local.

Speaking during the public comment session, former school board member Paul Coughlin cautioned the Barnum board about making what he calls "one-way door" decisions.

"A lot of times you make decisions that are two-way doors: if you don't like it, you can always go back and make a different decision the following month, the following year or the following board," he said, referring to board moves on information technology and school bonding as other one-way decisions. Contracting with a private bus company would be a one-way because the district would sell its buses and likely lose current drivers.

"I just want the board to think long and hard on these decisions," Coughlin said, suggesting they keep emotions out of it. "What I want you to understand: these one-way decisions this board makes ties the hands of any board member that will take your spot 12 years from now, two years from now or 10 years from now. ... Understand the repercussions."

Blindsided

Barnum bus driver Dave Jezierski said there have been issues with communication and competence in the management of the bus routes and drivers.

Drivers were "blindsided" by a meeting with 4.0 School Services that other district employees knew about, he said, recalling his bewildered response. "Drivers have always done their jobs," he said, adding that no one ever talked to the drivers about the "why" behind losing half their numbers.

Problems with new bus scheduling software included telling him to pick up three students at midnight, and led to a busful of students sitting in the parking lot for 45 minutes while mistakes were unraveled. Bus drivers and office staff took over managing the routes because they had to, he said. Changes to bus cameras mean police can't ticket people who pass when the stop arm is out. "The old system worked, we could get tickets," he said.

Additionally, Jezierski said bus drivers were being encouraged to leave the union by management last summer, even before the 4.0 meeting, which Whiteside called a violation of the Public Employee Labor Relations Act, a potential liability for the district, he said.

Bus drivers would lose their union pension and other contract provisions if the school district decides to contract for private busing services, more than one person said Tuesday.

"I hope we get to keep our jobs," said veteran bus driver Bobby Kisler after the meeting. "We're all doing it for the same reasons. It's not for the money, because it's not great pay, but we enjoy the kids. We enjoy saying good morning to them, asking how their day was, saying good night. And we've got good benefits here: sick pay, a couple personal days, insurance and a good pension. That's a huge deal."

Bus driver Brian Butterfield said he loves his job.

"I gave up my state job to get these kids to school," he said. "It's the best job I've had. The kids are fun. They get a little rowdy on the bus, but they're very manageable."

Parents call him if they're going to be gone, he calls them if he's running a little late. He doesn't want the district to switch to 4.0, he said.

Matt Arnold felt the district should honor its contract with the bus drivers.

"It's the job of our bus drivers to get our kids to school and back home safe. I consider that job extremely important," he said. "I have had issues with other staff issues ... I've never had any issues with bus drivers."

What if there are driver issues, asked Whiteside.

"If you contract out this work, you will no longer be able to hire, fire or discipline those employees," he said. "How will the public feel when they call the school district for a complaint about them, a bus driver, and the school says, 'Oh, sorry, we don't deal with that, you got to call this contractor.'"

Student Sophia Bigelow, whose father drives a bus for Barnum, said 4.0 drivers would not have the same personal connections. Her dad loves his job and the kids, she said.

"My dad went from a big corporation job. He did not have to pick up this local school job," Bigelow said. "But he did it because he cared about our family and helping other families, and getting kids to school safely. I think that's really important to take into context when talking about everyone in the district."

Former Barnum school board member James Fugelstad doesn't support the district switching to a private bus service, explaining that the board had previously considered a contract with 4.0 and determined it was not financially viable. He called it a "horrible" idea.

As someone who's worked in the trucking industry, Fugelstad said people lease "trucks" - like buses - only when a company is growing so fast it can't keep up or making so much money they don't care. "Or you can't do your job, which is where Barnum basically is right now," he said.

Every school district is short right now, he said. His solution?

"You pay them enough, you'll get drivers," Fugelstad said.

Solutions

The Pine Knot News emailed every superintendent in Carlton County about busing needs and issues in their districts, and heard back from the majority.

In Esko, according to superintendent Aaron Fischer, they're doing "everything we can think of," to attract more drivers and subs to cover 10 routes. "Advertising for drivers, increased wages, offers to pay for the required training," Fischer said.

There are issues beyond a lack of drivers to get kids to and from school, of course.

Cloquet superintendent Michael Cary said they face issues with driver shortages for extracurricular transportation, as well as logistics and demand for specialized transportation services. They're working with Cloquet Transit on recruiting more drivers, and considering making schedules more flexible for any current employees who would be willing to drive. They also want to get the word out to more local residents that one could make an extra $10,000 to $15,000 a year driving two trips a day, Cary said.

Helping drivers get their CDL is another way some districts are tackling the problem.

Increased costs are another issue, with higher fuel costs and a new bus costing roughly $30,000 more than it did before Covid, Fischer said.

Wrenshall superintendent Jeff Pesta also named costs for operation and replacement buses as issues, as well as limited administration time. Wrenshall operates its own transportation system, with six regular bus routes - two go to West Duluth and Gary - and four vans. The board has plans to replace one older diesel bus with another propane-fueled bus.

Superintendent Bill Peel - who serves both Barnum and Willow River districts - wasn't at the meeting Tuesday due to illness. In an email last week, he said Barnum has put ads in the paper, on social media, school websites, on online job sites, and used word of mouth to hire drivers. They're also looking at contracted bus services to help with the driver shortage, he said, and trying to make routes more efficient.

Former bus dispatcher Rick Peterson told the Pine Knot News he left last year because he felt that his superiors wanted to get rid of him, but he's willing to come back and drive now. He's waiting to hear back from the district. That would bring the district up to seven drivers.

Meanwhile, the Barnum school board is still gathering information. Board member Betty Anderson thanked the crowd for coming and speaking to the board, noting that the board needs input so they "can make good sound decisions."

Bus driver Bobby Kisler said afterward that he felt better after the meeting.

"They heard some things today that they needed to hear," he said.

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Bus drivers needed

Many school districts are in need of bus drivers, which can be a full- or part-time job. It requires a commercial driver's license (CDL) and both a school bus and passenger endorsement, plus passing a background check.

Esko's Laurie Groth has been "driving bus" in Esko 32 years, and has worked as transportation director for nine. Their current drivers include five who retired from other jobs and enjoy driving as a part-time gig, and the rest drive as their primary job. Most school district drivers are union.

Barriers to driving have grown over the years, Groth said, including changes in training and federal testing that make it more difficult and time-consuming. Drivers also have to pass a Department of Transportation physical every two years, and they can't go to just any doctor for the physical anymore; they must go to a DOT-certified doctor, and the physicals are not covered by insurance.

"People still want buses and the way things have always been," Groth said. "That's fine, but we still need people willing to drive."

- Jana Peterson / Pine Knot News