GILROY
– After years of draining school district coffers, the
transportation program could turn into a money-maker if district
buses and drivers start giving rides to other agencies.
GILROY – After years of draining school district coffers, the transportation program could turn into a money-maker if district buses and drivers start giving rides to other agencies.
Under Gilroy Unified School District’s transportation redesign plan, bus service would be contracted out on weekends and during the slow summer months to create more work hours for employees and generate more revenue for the district.
“Really, this is a sincere effort to retain these employees and get them more hours so they can make a living,” said Steve Brinkman, assistant superintendent of administrative services.
Transportation employees were hard hit during this spring’s budget reduction process. By cutting bus driver hours, bus routes, mileage and eliminating three vacant driver positions, GUSD saved $683,000 over two years.
Bus drivers and mechanics attended several school board meetings to protest the cuts to their department.
GUSD could raise money to make up for the thousands of dollars transportation tales away from the general fund by transporting groups like outside school districts, non-profits, and community organizations. The city of Morgan Hill and the Garlic Festival Association have expressed an interest in using GUSD buses and drivers.
It also could save as much as $20,000 that is spent on chartering transportation for field trips or sports teams.
The district also plans to combine some of its routes for special needs students with school districts in Morgan Hill, San Juan Bautista and Aromas, said Darren Salo, GUSD’s transportation supervisor. Trips also could be coming the district’s way from San Jose’s East Side Union High School District, which contracts out but receives more requests than it can handle.
“I have been in contact with them up there, so any trips they can’t handle, we will handle them first, before they go to anyone else,” Salo said.
The plan was met with approval by trustees at last Thursday’s school board meeting.
“It sounded pretty good,” Trustee Tom Bundros said. “If we can turn our resources around to generate some income, it always sounds like a good idea to me.”
Trustee Jim Rogers suggested the transportation administrators discuss the department’s redesign with drivers and mechanics as soon as possible.
Salo said transportation personnel will be briefed on the plan when they return to work Aug. 26.
Rita Delgado, president of Gilroy Chapter 69 of the California School Employees Association, said most drivers and mechanics represented by the union support the plan.
“Anything that we can do to provide services and generate revenue for our district, and help our employees stay on the job and increase hours is good,” Delgado said. “Plus, hopefully our rates would be very competitive and we’d be able to save even local groups money if they were to go to us instead of a private company.”
“It has the potential of increasing the work for those employees that were either reduced, demoted or laid off as a result of last spring’s budget actions, so it will actually generate more work and help bring them back to their full capacity,” said Gwendolyn Miller, a labor relations representative with CSEA. “It is not our hope that it replaces any classified positions in any other districts.”
Trustees on Thursday also approved buying five buses currently leased by the district, to replace five older and higher polluting buses. Instead of ending its leases over the next two years as a result of fewer bus routes from no more attendance area busing, the district will replace its older buses now, having found a good deal.
GUSD will save $204,000 this school year by buying the five buses from California Bus Sales. It will pay $207,000 by 2010, but will get a $52,016 credit for prior lease payments, a $55,000 trade-in for the old buses and deferred payment for one year.
The 2003 buses get better gas mileage than the five buses from 1987-89 they will replace, saving $8,298 a year. GUSD will save $22,279 a year on maintenance, and the buses emit 70 percent less fuel than four of the old buses and 40 percent less than the fifth.
The school board voted 6-0, with John Gurich absent, to buy the five buses.
