Traverse City Record-Eagle

Archive: Friday

March 12, 2010

Union voices BATA concerns in mailing

BY LINDSAY VANHULLE

SUTTONS BAY -- Students' safety could be risked if Suttons Bay Public Schools gives away busing to a public transit agency, an employee union contends.

The Suttons Bay Educational Support Personnel Association sent a one-page mailing to district families last week and outlined concerns that Bay Area Transportation Authority drivers won't be held to the same safety standards as school bus drivers.

Superintendent Mike Murray is talking with BATA Executive Director Tom Menzel about whether the agency could bus students to school if the district eliminates general transportation.

A deal could save as much as $600,000 and about seven teachers' jobs, Murray estimates, but savings could be less if Suttons Bay retains buses for special education students and extracurricular events.

About 200 copies of the mailing were sent.

Among the union's concerns: BATA buses aren't equipped with overhead lights, drivers don't have the same license endorsements as school bus drivers, they aren't fingerprinted prior to hiring and can transport anyone along with students.

"We wanted to make sure that it was clear that we were concerned about the safety of the kids," said Pat Dunn, president of the Michigan Education Association-affiliated union.

Both Murray and Menzel said they are considering safety, and refute the idea that BATA's service could be harmful.

Menzel said he thinks those who question the idea are using safety to hide real concerns about change.

"What they're trying to do is plant seeds of doubt," he said. "People don't want things to change."

The union represents support staff, including aides, custodians and bus drivers.

The mailing listed a group called Advocates for Safe Transportation, which Dunn said came from bus drivers. The name has not been registered with clerks in Grand Traverse or Leelanau counties.

Dunn said union dues paid for copies, but she did not know the cost. They were mailed from the MEA office on Barlow Street in Traverse City, which covered the $0.44 postage fee for each mailing.

Her members know Suttons Bay's budget constraints, Dunn said, but want to be included in talks since they will be affected by the outcome.

"We do understand that we are in a position where we have to do something," she said. "There's a lot of questions we don't have answers for."

Details are expected in April. Murray and Menzel are working out finances, including how BATA can break even with the service.

"Right now, the momentum is all on (the union's) side," Murray said. "I feel for credibility's sake that it's important not to say, 'Well, this is what it's going to look like,' and then have to backtrack."

BATA responds

An employee union representing support staff in Suttons Bay Public Schools sent a mailing to families, raising issues about a possible shift of student busing from the district to the Bay Area Transportation Authority.

They are concerned BATA buses don't have overhead lights and that drivers don't have the same license endorsements as school bus drivers, aren't fingerprinted before they are hired and can transport the public on the same routes as students.

The driver's license endorsement school bus drivers have is specific for schools, according to the state.

Carrie Thompson, a BATA office manager involved in the discussion, said the agency would like to set up fixed routes for students using current stops, although they will have to be public.

She said the agency conducts background checks on new hires, but they typically are not fingerprinted. Executive Director Tom Menzel said fingerprinting could be done if it improves driver recruitment.

Related Story: School district, BATA work on busing details

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