Collier School District is looking for a few good drivers

Pete Cullen admits that bus driving works for him.

The retired New York City police officer began driving for the Collier County School District nine years ago to supplement his pension.

But Cullen knows that not every bus driver is as lucky as he is.

"The pay isn't as good as it could be. I guess there is a perception that it is a trying job, you know, with the kids. I think there is also a lot of downtime that people are not paid for. People find other employment and they don't want to come back," he said. "I feel for them."

It's no secret that Collier County is suffering from a shortage of bus drivers.

When School Board members approved the start times for the 2006-07 school year in April, Superintendent Ray Baker said the administration has worked tirelessly to find a later start time for the high school students who will begin at 7:15 a.m. starting in August.

"The problem is not a matter of dollars," he said. "The problem is that we cannot find drivers for the buses."

Jeff Stauring, director of transportation for the district, said shortages are not uncommon, but they have caused problems for the district.

"Everybody has trouble getting bus drivers," he said. "It is not just Collier County. Lee County is in the same boat."

State education officials said Lee and Okeechobee counties both have reported a dire need for school bus drivers.

Stauring said the job of a bus driver means employees have to accept certain things that some simply cannot accept.

"The pay is OK, but for Naples, it is not the best," said Stauring, who said drivers beginning in the 2005-06 school year make $12.25 an hour to start.

"On top of that, it is a split shift. You work three or four hours in the morning, have three hours to do nothing before you work in the afternoon. You have to be available 12 hours a day for an eight-hour job."

The district also does not pay its drivers when school is not in session, which deters some people, he said. It is also difficult in the summer, when the district does not have enough positions to support all the employees who work during the school year.

"We have 260 drivers. Of those, we will employ 70 this summer. That leaves 190 that won't have a job."

Cullen said he passed on a summer route to help those drivers who do not have the seniority.

"I have to go back to New York this summer. I don't need it as much as some of these other people do, so I didn't take the route," he said.

Cullen said he believes the district could solve its problem if it would grant a vacation allowance to the drivers for service over the years.

"They would be able to fill the down time. But that is something we would have to negotiate for and we're not negotiating now," he said.

Negotiations for the Collier Service Professionals, which represents about 1,000 district employees, including bus drivers, have stalled due to an argument over who has the right to negotiate with the district for salaries.

With all of the confusion over who can negotiate with the district, School District officials suspended negotiations with the Collier Support Professionals Association in February until a Public Employees Relations Committee hearing officer determines who is the appropriate bargaining agent for the union.

If the district's contract with the service professionals expires before the sides have reached an agreement, both sides can agree to extend the contract, which expires June 30.

"When people see that 6 percent for teachers in the paper and they don't negotiate with the bus drivers' union, it might deter some people," Cullen said.

Stauring said the district will add 17 new drivers to its staff of 263. The new drivers are needed to cover the routes for the Lorenzo Walker Technical High School, which will open in August. The district also will need to hire 20 drivers who were lost when the district changed high school schedules before the start of the 2005-06 school year.

"We have been affected this year through the change in high school schedules. We lost a couple of routes. So, we were down 20 drivers anyway. Since the schedule has been changed, we will have to get those drivers back," he said.

Stauring said some of the current drivers probably will not return after the summer, so he expects the district will be looking to fill 50 positions.

Those interested in becoming a driver can fill out an application online at www.collier.k12.fl.us or go to one of the district's transportation sites to fill out an application.

Stauring said the district also will hold a recruitment fair for prospective bus drivers from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 22 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Administrative Center, 5775 Osceola Trail.

Lee County Transportation Executive Director Jack Shelton was unavailable for comment.