Activists in Mississippi have been clamoring to challenge the constitutionality of the state’s anti-strike law. Greenville school bus drivers may have kicked the door wide open. – Fred Klonsky

Activists in Mississippi have been clamoring to challenge the constitutionality of the state’s anti-strike law. Greenville school bus drivers may have kicked the door wide open. – Fred Klonsky

ACTIVISTS IN MISSISSIPPI HAVE BEEN CLAMORING TO CHALLENGE THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF THE STATE’S ANTI-STRIKE LAW. GREENVILLE SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS MAY HAVE KICKED THE DOOR WIDE OPEN

Bus drivers in Greenville Public School District went on strike to protest reduced hours, low pay and ‘poor treatment’ by the district. Credit: Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi Today

Mississippi Today:

A political time bomb is ticking in Greenville, and the explosion could transform the state’s public education environment for decades to come.

Last Monday and Tuesday, between 13-20 bus drivers for the Greenville Public School District — some of the lowest paid employees in one of the most under-resourced school districts in one of the most under-resourced regions of America — skipped work to protest reduced pay and what they called poor work conditions.

As far as anyone knows, this was the first organized work stoppage in Mississippi public schools since 9,429 teachers walked out in a 1985 strike, after which lawmakers passed the demanded pay increases but also enacted one of the nation’s most stringent strike laws.

Lawmakers that year made it explicitly illegal for school employees to strike in Mississippi. They drafted the law as broadly as possible to include pretty much any CONTINUE READING: Activists in Mississippi have been clamoring to challenge the constitutionality of the state’s anti-strike law. Greenville school bus drivers may have kicked the door wide open. – Fred Klonsky

NYC Public School Parents: Patrick Sullivan on the DOE's acquisition of Reliant bus company: Why the PEP should vote no.

NYC Public School Parents: Patrick Sullivan on the DOE's acquisition of Reliant bus company: Why the PEP should vote no.

Patrick Sullivan on the DOE's acquisition of Reliant bus company: Why the PEP should vote no.

Patrick Sullivan, a former member of the Panel for Educational Policy, sent this to current members in opposition to the DOE acquisition of Reliant bus company.  For more on this issue, see Sue Edelman's article yesterday  in the New York Post and the editorial today.  The PEP is voting on this contract tonight.  Livestream here.

From: Patrick Sullivan <patk.j.sullivan@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Dec 13, 2020 at 7:08 PM
Subject: Vote no/abstain vote on NYCSBUS contract due to pension risk
To: <AChapman7@schools.nyc.gov>, <GChacon@schools.nyc.gov>, <ICarmignani@schools.nyc.gov>, <DDillingham@schools.nyc.gov>, <NGreenGiles@schools.nyc.gov>, <MKraft2@schools.nyc.gov>, <VLeung@schools.nyc.gov>, <GLinnen@schools.nyc.gov>, <LPodvesker@schools.nyc.gov>, <kparkprice@schools.nyc.gov>, <SWaite3@schools.nyc.gov>

 

Dear Panel for Educational Policy Members,

I am writing to express my concerns about the contract with the new NYCSBUS entity for school bus services.  I ask you to abstain or vote against the contract.

The contract is part of a two-pronged program to create a DOE-controlled busing company.  One component is the new non-profit intended to buy Reliant from its parent MV Transport.   The non-profit has a board controlled by the Chancellor and his appointees.   The non-profit will get Reliant's assets including buses owned outright and leases for both buses and bus depots.   The non-profit will also be responsible for Reliant's pension obligations.  The pension is a private one for the union's members and funded by all the bus company employers.  Like most pensions, it's underfunded.  The responsibility to make up any underfunding is with the employers.   When NYCSBUS buys Reliant, it becomes responsible for the pension.  Their share of the underfunding is about $140 million.  

I do not believe the DOE has been either comprehensive or candid in explaining the risks involved in their plans:

NYCSBUS fails to deliver services - the company only exists on paper right now so a number of scenarios could derail operations including inability to staff management, CONTINUE READING: NYC Public School Parents: Patrick Sullivan on the DOE's acquisition of Reliant bus company: Why the PEP should vote no.

NYC Public School Parents: DOE delays Panel vote on acquiring Reliant busing

NYC Public School Parents: DOE delays Panel vote on acquiring Reliant busing

DOE delays Panel vote on acquiring Reliant busing

DOE has made another incongruous and costly decision related to busing, this time to create a new non-profit that will acquire the Reliant company that apparently owes millions in unpaid pension and health insurance costs.  Their debt, according to the NY Post, may be as large as $148 million.  The contract was about to be voted on tonight Nov. 17 at the Panel for Educational Policy but was postponed because of the unresolved questions and concerns of Panel members.

As I said to the NY Post, "Without knowing the cost of the company and what kind of debt the city may be assuming, it is impossible to tell whether this is a good deal or not. In any case, for the DOE to take on more financial risks and obligations at this time seems irresponsible, given the economic crisis we face.”

DOE officials have so far refused to release the proposed contract with this new non-profit, called NYC School BUS, CONTINUE READING: 

Janitors, Bus Drivers On Returning To Schools: Damned If They Do, Damned If They Don't | HuffPost

Janitors, Bus Drivers On Returning To Schools: Damned If They Do, Damned If They Don't | HuffPost

Janitors, Bus Drivers On Returning To Schools: Damned If They Do, Damned If They Don’t

Cafeteria workers and other school support staff are afraid of getting coronavirus as more students return — but many are even more afraid of losing their jobs.

As many schools return to in-person classes even as coronavirus cases are mounting nationwide, school bus drivers, cafeteria workers and janitors are left in an impossible bind: worried about being exposed to COVID-19 but also terrified they’ll lose their jobs if schools stay shut.

“We’re back at work. We don’t get the choice of virtual or brick-and-mortar. We’re behind the wheel, five days a week,” said Rhonda Miller, 54, a school bus driver in Florida’s Palm Beach County.

“How can you social distance on a bus? It’s impossible,” Miller said.

States and school districts have had a piecemeal response to the pandemic, with some deciding to return fully in person, others continuing classes virtually and still others doing a combination of both. Many schools, including in New York, Florida and Texas, have opened up only to have to shut again as virus cases have cropped up among students and staff.    

The drivers who bring kids to school, the cafeteria workers who feed them and the janitors who clean up after them are all considered essential workers — and they can’t do their jobs from home. They’re also disproportionately Black and brown. 

With more than 7.9 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. and over 217,000 dead so far, those getting sick and dying have been disproportionately Black and brown. And CONTINUE READING: Janitors, Bus Drivers On Returning To Schools: Damned If They Do, Damned If They Don't | HuffPost

NYC Public School Parents: Millions in DOE contracts awarded for buses even if they're not running & scoring guides for tests that may never be given

NYC Public School Parents: Millions in DOE contracts awarded for buses even if they're not running & scoring guides for tests that may never be given

Millions in DOE contracts awarded for buses even if they're not running & scoring guides for tests that may never be given

As Sue Edelman reports in today's NY Post, last week the PEP approved the extension of contracts with busing companies through 2025 that will guarantee them 43% of the full amount -- amounting to more than $500 million per year ---whether buses are running or not.  

The  DOE also agreed to pay 40% of the regular cost of busing for May and June when buses were idling because schools were closed, which is less than the 85% they originally planned to pay before we sounded the alarm last April, but is still far more than they had to hand over.  

These contracts, like most others, contained a force majeure clause, which would allow all payments to be stopped in case of a pandemic, as a letter from the NYC Comptroller pointed out. The NY Post article doesn't reveal what the DOE paid for the six weeks in March and April when the schools were closed and buses weren't running, but one can assume DOE paid these companies the full contracted amount of nearly $200 million per month during this period.

As I am quoted in today's article, the decision of the DOE to guarantee these payments, starting this year through 2025, is irresponsible, given the fiscal crisis the city is facing which may lead to additional and grievous budget cuts to schools and school staffing.  

Already today, the Mayor announced that in nine zip codes in Brooklyn and Queens, 100 public schools and 200 non-public schools (for which we also pay for busing) will be CONTINUE READING: NYC Public School Parents: Millions in DOE contracts awarded for buses even if they're not running & scoring guides for tests that may never be given