Schools

Fever Pitch: District 15 and DTU Disagree on Safety Records, Outsource Savings

The tension between District 15 and the District 15 Transportation Union continues to grow; both dispute how the bid from Durham Student Services differs from staying in-house, and alleged safety issues relating to current drivers.

District 15 and the District 15 Transportation Union (DTU) appear to be at odds over all the details involved in the debate on whether to outsource bus services or continue using in-house bus drivers in the school district.

After a second, and sole bid was received from Durham School Services, both sides are interpreting the final numbers, and what they mean to the school district, differently.

“The DTU demonstrated it actually costs taxpayers [more than] $2.8 million over three years to replace in-house drivers with outsourced drivers,” said Carin Ulrich, DTU president in a press release dated Sunday, April 7.

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Ulrich elaborated on the $2.8 million figure, stating that it takes into account non-reimbursable expenses that the school district is counting on, but won’t receive due to recent changes in how reimbursements are calculated.

Meanwhile, District 15 Superintendent Scott Thompson said early estimates put savings to the school district - if they choose to outsource - at $1.3 million over the next three years.

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“We have researched reimbursements extensively, reached out to the Illinois State Board of Education, and received an opinion from our attorney; we are confident the question of reimbursements is taken into account with the initial estimated savings,” Thompson said.

District 15 School Board President Tim Millar said another issue that bleeds into not only the costs, but safety issues as well, are the high absentee rates of current District 15 transportation employees.

“We have two to three times [absentee rates] compared to other District 15 employees, which creates the need for more substitutes, and subsequently, drivers who don’t know the routes and don’t know the children,” Millar said.

Millar added that absentee rates are almost double the rates that Durham has on average, and almost triple compared to District 211 bus drivers.

DTU President Carin Ulrich said she does not dispute absentee rates have been high among drivers, as of late.

“We have gone through six months of this, the drivers’ bodies are wearing down from the physical, emotional and mental stress from this outrageous vindictive behavior. Over and over it has been shown, once we showed there were no savings [with outsourcing]..now he [Millar] is pulling at straws,” Ulrich said.

Millar said at the end of the day, safety is at the core of the issue.

A Freedom of Information (FOIA) request uncovered that between the period of January 1, 2012 and March 15, 2013, there were 47 total incidents or accidents involving District 15 school bus drivers or assistants.

In 28 of them, bus drivers were found to not be at fault, while in 19 they were either cited or found responsible for the incident, all of which were relatively minor.  

A total of six students received minor injuries, in addition to two bus drivers, over all the reported incidents.

Ulrich said that is a very small percentage, based on the between 11 and 13 million student miles travelled by bus drivers in 2012 alone.

Despite the numbers, Millar said the school district does have concerns.

“There have been employees who failed physicals, and the union instead of erring on the side of caution has either filed a grievance or complained; there was a substitute driver who did not know the kids as well, and we actually had a child who was missing for a few hours,” Millar said.

Millar said also that when absentee rates continue, bus drivers are required to double up on routes, and then children are left standing outside longer than expected, which also is a safety issue. Children in those cases are many times late for school, he said.

“I wish we could solve the safety problems with in-house.  The DTU has been made aware of safety issues, they have always been issues,” Millar said.

Ulrich outright disputes that statement.

“Our contract dictates that we meet every month, never has the district or the school board ever brought up any safety issues. None,” Ulrich said.

Millar cited physical fitness of bus drivers as another issue, saying in case they need to safely remove children from buses during any type of emergency, they must be able to do so.  He used an example of a bus driver who uses a cane, and questioned whether she would be able to help children during an emergency.

Ulrich said that specific driver always has an aide with her on the bus, so there is no concern that children would not be able to get off the bus safely.

“Other districts and professional companies put forth standards for physical fitness. Right now, there are no provisions, and the DTU has been fighting us to lower standards for the state physicals,” Millar said. 

Millar said the DTU is battling the school district to keep drivers employed who don’t pass a state physical.  “We’re not even up to the standards for companies like Durham, or minimum standards for physical fitness,” he said.

Ulrich said this is absolutely false, and that there are stringent standards in place required by the State of Illinois. She added that this issue has never been brought up in any communications with the district or the school board.

In the Sunday statement, Ulrich stated the offer still stands for negotiations to be held in public, due to what she calls factual misrepresentations that have plagued the negotiating process.

In regards to safety and . The bus driver crashed into the jeep the victim was driving.

The Chicago Tribune reported in 2012 there have been 279 bus crashes involving Durham School Services buses across the nation; 22 people were injured in December 2012 in a Durham bus on the Tri-State tollway, and there were a total of six documented accidents in Illinois.

District 15 and the DTU are set to meet back at the negotiating table on April 16, with three subsequent meetings on the calendar.

At the school board meeting Wednesday, April 10, a breakdown of the bid received from Durham School Services will be provided. A public hearing also is scheduled. 


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