District 15 Bus Hits Parked Car Near Paddock School Early Tuesday

Children were on the bus around 7:40 a.m. but no injuries were reported. District 15 transportation director said an official report is pending, but an influx of cars due to a special event at the school made it difficult for the bus to navigate.

A District 15 bus driver was involved in a minor accident early Tuesday at Stuart R. Paddock School, 225 W. Washington Street; the bus hit a parked car as it was making its way onto school grounds. Tom Bramley, Director of Transportation for District 15 said there were 19 students on the bus at the time of the incident, but no injuries were reported after each of the children was checked by the school nurse. The incident was called into District 15 by the bus driver at 7:43 a.m., Bramley said. He mentioned there were a large number of cars parked around the school all the way up to Kinsch’s Village Florist and Greenhouse, 301 W. Johnson Street near Rose Street, due to a Moms and Muffins event at the school, which was going on at the time …

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District 15, DTU Busing Issues Continue On

A number of newsworthy information came out early Tuesday regarding a hit-and-run accident involving a D15 bus driver, and statements from both the school district and District 15 Transportation Union.

It's a tense time as District 15 considers outsourcing bus services, in addition to continuing negotiations with the District 15 Transportation Union (DTU) to agree on a final contract.  A hit-and-run accident involving close to 30 junior high school students and a District 15 bus driver occurred on Monday. The driver was terminated Tuesday, which caused a flurry of communications between the school district and the DTU.  Early report on Tuesday regarding the hit-and-run accident. DTU makes a statement regarding the termination of the bus driver. District 15 responds to DTU statement.   District 15 to present report on savings with bus outsourcing, DTU challenges the numbers. The District 15 school board will be meeting tonight at Sundling…

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District 15 Responds to DTU Statement, Firing of Bus Driver

D15 Superintendent Scott Thompson answers to a recent statement made by the District 15 Transportation Union regarding the hit-and-run bus accident Monday, and the driver’s training and subsequent termination.

District 15 Superintendent Scott Thompson and the District 15 Transportation Union agree on one thing; terminating the probationary employment of the bus driver involved in a hit-and-run accident Monday was the right step to take. Both sides also agree that there was no excuse for the driver’s failure to immediately report the incident as safety protocol in District 15 dictates. “Protocol is that drivers are told to call in accidents whenever students are on the bus, to call police and a school district nurse will go to the scene to check the children for injuries,” Thompson said. “That did not happen, the driver did not follow protocol.” The DTU also said in their statement that the driver’s failure to report the accident is without …

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District 15 Bus Drivers to Receive Pink Slips

Four District 15 board members vote yes, and three abstained in the vote to send out reduction in force notices to district transportation employees.

Emotions were riding high at the District 15 board meeting Wednesday night, as more than a dozen people-both parents and bus drivers-and in some cases both, came before the board to voice their opposition and the perceived impact of outsourcing bus services.  In the end, four school board members voted in favor of sending out Reduction in Force [RIF] notices to bus drivers, bus driver assistants and secretaries. Three board members abstained from the vote.  At issue, in part, was an email sent out by District 15 on Thursday, February 28, which provided an update from the school district on contract negotiations with the District 15 Transportation Union (DTU).   "I would like to request that the people responsible for this email, resign …

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Sheila

2:01 pm on Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Robert, your statement is so ignorant ! "Replace all drivers and aids" really? I stated somewhere a while ago that my take home pay is less than I pay out for my family health insurance. I work hard and have only missed a few days of work in the 5years of my service in the district. I took this job because it paid a fair wage and offered a decent benefit package and way in my community. I look at…   more ›

District 15 and Transportation Union Negotiations: Where Do They Stand?

Last week, negotiations between the District 15 Transportation Union and the District 15 negotiating team hit some bumps. Read on to see what happened, and when the groups plan to meet again.

Late last week, District 15 and the District 15 Transportation Union (DTU) sent out back-to-back statements, respectively, relating to the status of contract negotiations to possibly keep busing for D15 students in-house. Simultaneously, D15 also is considering outsourcing the service.   Information on this subject, subsequently received in the last several days by Palatine Patch, causes the situation to remain somewhat, unclear. What is verifiable is that on Monday, February 25, initial negotiations were held between D15 and the DTU.  A proposal was given to DTU by D15, which was to be followed up on at a meeting on Wednesday, February 27. On February 27, the DTU came back and asked about a number of provisions in the previous contact …

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District 15 Update on Busing Negotiations with DTU

Negotiations have become strained between the District Transportation Union and District 15. A statement has been sent out to all District 15 households updating them on the most recent developments from the school district's perspective.

Statement from District 15: Dear District 15 Community member, As you are probably aware, the District is investigating the best way to provide safe, efficient, professional and reliable transportation services for the children it serves. The Board is currently negotiating with the DTU (District Transportation Union) to obtain a collective bargaining agreement. Simultaneously, the Board is seeking bids for outsourcing transportation to use in evaluating the best option for transporting our students. The Board and the administration wanted to update you on the current status of this process. Below are a list of myths and facts that will help you understand the current status of negotiations with the DTU. As you will see, the DTU has …

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D15 Parents, Drivers Take Issue With Bus Outsourcing

The District 15 school board learned two companies out of five bid on outsourcing of bus services, and heard concerns from parents, bus drivers and union representatives.

The District 15 Board of Education Tuesday learned two companies have provided bids to outsource bus services, and they also heard from a several people saying it just shouldn’t be done. Unease about the proposal to hire a private company for busing services focused mainly on safety issues, in addition to breaking up what is described as a strong community of drivers who not only work in the district, but are community members. “Parents know us as drivers, they know we are safe, professional,” said John Hall, a District 15 bus driver for the last five years. “People that work for these private companies have no reason to stay-poor wages, poor benefits, no major medical-you will produce a transient workforce.” Hall went on to say he is not …

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From the Editor's Desk

Letter to the Editor: District 15 Bus Driver Talks Potential Outsourcing

Palatine resident, and District 15 parent and Bus Driver Carol Cochran discusses what she believes will be the impact of outsourcing bus services on the school district and children.

Dear District 15 Parents and Community Members, The recent and unexpected disclosure that the District 15 school board is taking bids to outsource its drivers and bus aides has left many in our community feeling stressed, upset and even victimized.  I certainly feel that way. I know many of you do, too. Our drivers and aides live here, work here and devote their working lives to the students. We know that no private company in the world will ever match the safe and reliable service our employees bring to the children every day. They can't do it. They won't do it.  Bid proposals submitted by private for-profit companies were received by the District on January 10. Those proposals will be reviewed at the Wednesday, January 16 school board …

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UPDATED: Parents Concerned Over District 15 Possible Busing Privitization

District 15 issued a press release in response to parent concerns over whether potential cost savings are worth the perceived threats to safety and well-being. A petition has been started on Change.org to fight against the possibility.

UPDATED: Thursday, Dec. 19 9:15 a.m. District 15 issued a press release late Thursday to clarify how the district will move forward in regards to the possiblity of outsourcing bus services.  The release stated that due to significant reductions in state reimbursements for transportation, a consultant was utilized to determine what cost savings would be. There currently is a negotiated contract between the school district and the District 15 Transportation Union (DTU).  "For the 2012-13 school year, District 15 allocated approximately $6 million in salaries and expenses to support student transportation services. Preliminary estimates project annual savings at approximately $600,000," the release stated.  In addition to previously stated …

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