The school district’s transportation supervisor resigned over
the weekend after months of conflict with his staff.
The school district’s transportation supervisor resigned over the weekend after months of conflict with his staff.
In the year during which Supervisor Emil Frates has overseen the district’s transportation department, the drivers’ union has filed multiple grievances on the grounds that Frates violated their contract by cutting hours without negotiating or meeting mandatory deadlines. Drivers brought their concerns before the school board and Superintendent Deborah Flores earlier this year and again gathered at Thursday evening’s school board meeting to update the board.
“We’ve been working several months trying to fix different situations in the department,” said bus driver Linda Figone. “We continue to be in turmoil.”
Monday morning, Flores called a mandatory meeting at the transportation office to inform the drivers that their supervisor had resigned over the weekend, Figone said. Frates was not at the office Monday and could not be reached for comment. Human Resources Director Kim Filice confirmed his resignation.
During the superintendent’s meeting with drivers, which lasted only a few minutes, Flores said she hoped to bring in a temporary replacement as soon as the end of the week, Figone said.
“Most of us are very happy to see him go,” she said. “We’ve been through the ringer.”
If the situation hadn’t been remedied by the Sept. 3 board meeting, drivers planned to present a vote of no confidence in Frates, Figone said. They still plan to attend the meeting to give the board and district staff “a big thank you,” she said.
