The St. Tammany Parish School Board reached an agreement with its bus drivers at a packed emergency school board meeting Monday night.
The school system typically operates 400 buses a day and about 60 of the drivers called in sick on February 11, causing problems for parents.
The bus drivers have been asking for more money and a St. Tammany Parish school board spokesperson said that on Monday night the school system agreed to the following pay upgrades.
- A $2,500 stipend to be paid on February 28.
- Plus an additional $400 for each of the last four months of the school year.
- Drivers will also receive $20 payment for covering additional routes.
School system Director of Communications, Meredith Mendez, said the union accepted the offer.
“I am pleased that we could come up with a solution for our bus drivers. That has been our goal from the beginning. We want to make sure our buses are maintained and in the best working condition for the safety of the children in our parish," said Superintendent Frank Jabbia.
Erania Foster, a bus driver, said the increases were essential to workers facing inflation, higher gas prices and costly maintenance and repairs.
"It's been whether or not fueling a bus or oil change or maybe a tire or even going as far as putting food on the table for your family or gas in your bus so you can go to work so you can provide for your family," she said.
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