Retired bus driver asks school board to alter contract

An 80-year-old retired school bus driver asked the Brown County School Board of Trustees on Jan. 16 to alter the corporation’s bus contract and remove a specification require drivers retire at 80.

Kenny Roberts asked to be on the board’s agenda Jan. 16 to discuss the corporation’s age limit specification in the bus contract.

Roberts retired as a bus driver after more than 50 years of driving students back and forth to school in Brown County. But Roberts does not want to remain retired. He asked the board to remove the specification so that he could substitute for his wife who is currently a bus driver in the district.

“I’d like for you to do away with it. I don’t know how you came up with it,” he said.

Roberts said other surrounding school districts do not have that age limit specification in their school bus contracts. “Isn’t that discriminating against us older people?” he asked.

“I can go to any county around us and drive a school bus. I can’t drive in Brown County. I have everything the state tells me I have to have to drive a school bus.”

Roberts asked when the specification was included in the contract. “It is in the bus contract,” Board President Carol Bowden responded.

When Roberts asked again when it was first included, the board members did not have a response.

The school corporation’s transportation director Roger Cline, was seated in the audience, and he said this was the second contract in which that specification had been in place when asked by Superintendent Laura Hammack.

“The only thing I can speak to is the specification from the prior contract, which was not a contract I negotiated, that contract had that specification of the 80-year requirement in it. When this contract was approved, that wasn’t changed. It wasn’t added, it wasn’t deleted. It was kept the same,” Hammack said.

Roberts called the specification “discrimination.”

Bowden said other transportation entities have age limitations, including airline pilots.

“As long as you can get your physical and pass everything the state requires, the state says you can drive a school bus, but you can’t drive in Brown County,” Roberts said.

Hammack said the bus contract for 2020-2024 could be altered and reaffirmed if the board wanted to change their position on the age limit specification, which requires drivers to be at least 21 years old and a maximum age of 80.

The age limit specification was listed under discussion items on the board’s agenda.

“Certainly no decision has to be made by the board this evening, but we appreciate, Kenny, you bringing this to the board’s attention. It’s something for them to consider as we move forward,” Hammack said.

“That’s how this process works. I know you all will consider this carefully. We can pull out the state statute for you and make sure you have all of that information for your review.”

School board approves reorganization, policy updates

The Brown County Schools Board of Trustees approved the following on Jan. 9 and Jan. 16:

• Carol Bowden as president of the school board and president of the board of finance; Vicki Harden as vice president; Marlene Barnett as secretary and as as secretary/treasurer of the board of finance; Julie Smith as district treasurer; Jill Wray and Renee Seacat as deputy treasurers; Michelle Cooper as corporation attorney and Renee Seacat as recording secretary; the bid opening committee; Barnett and Bowden as the Brown County Schools Insurance Committee representatives; Harden as the representative for the BCS finance and health and wellness committees; Bowden as the representative for Nashville Redevelopment Commission, Brown County Redevelopment Commission and Brown County Area Plan Commission; Stephanie Kritzer as the BCS Birth to Five Committee representative.
• First and second readings of NEOLA policy updates on employment of administrators in addition to the superintendent, employment of personnel for extracurricular activities (administration, professional staff and support staff), teacher appreciation grants, supplemental payments for teachers; determination of legal settlement and eligibility for enrollment of students without legal settlement in the corporation, homeless students, released time for religious instruction, care of students with chronic health conditions, student discipline, suspension and expulsion of students, budget preparation, budget hearing, payroll deductions, disposition of real property, volunteers, public records, school safety, environmental health and safety issues regarding indoor air quality, animals in the classroom and idling vehicles on school property, emergency preparedness plans and drills, coach training, references and IHSAA reporting, child abuse and neglect, transportation, definitions, staff use of personal communication devices, and staff technology acceptable use and safety.
• Separating Brown County High School health assistant Tamara Kesler, effective at the end of this school year. This was not a termination.
• Separating Sprunica Elementary School teacher Johanna Weinzapfel, effective Jan. 31. This was not a termination.
• A $500 donation to the Career Resource Center of Brown County from Tom and April Barr.
• A $500 donation to the CRC from Rita Simon.
• A $1,000 donation to the CRC from Anella Hamilton.
• Recommendation to declare 80 desktop computers as salvage. The approved recommendation results in the items being posted for auction online.
• Appointing Helmsburg Elementary School after school care assistant Laura Wilson, part-time without benefits, $9.75 per hour, 2 1/2 hours per day, five days per week, effective Jan. 24.