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Briefs ........................PAGE 3
Volusia County school bus drivers ask for pay rate increase
JARLEENE ALMENAS
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ASSOCIATE EDITOR
A group of bus drivers in Volusia County spoke at the School Board meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 8 to voice a united plea: Give us a living wage.
Sporting a yellow shirt that read “I carry precious cargo,” bus operator Jenny Diaz told the board that bus drivers have long endured poor wages despite their high level of responsibilities. Bus drivers are doing their jobs to the best of their abilities, she said, while often dealing with rudeness and disrespect from parents and students, all while feeling unappreciated and undervalued.
“Day to day, I come to work even when I’m sick because I know we’re short on drivers and attendants, and I don’t want the kids on the streets waiting for long periods of times to be picked up,” Diaz said.
She shared that she makes $13.26 an hour, though she has worked for VCS for four years, and spoke about costs of living continuing to rise. The current rate of pay for bus drivers are $11.44 for training and $13 an hour for contracted employees.
In an email to the Observer, Volusia County Schools spokesperson Kelly Schulz said that in the fall of 2019, the district had 202 bus operators transporting 23,000 students. At this moment, the district stated they have 172 bus operators transporting 24,000 students. There are 50 vacancies that need to be filled.
“We are utilizing everybody possible to meet the needs of our students during this challenging time, and we are truly at the bottom of our resource barrel so to speak,” Schulz wrote. “We are using everyone in our organization who is authorized to drive or be an attendant, even though they are now serving in other capacities.”
Volusia County’s bus drivers are not alone in their plight.
According to The News Service of Florida, there are proposals moving through the House and Senate that aim to address the shortages of school workers, including bus drivers, as districts around the state experience low staffing levels for such employees. House Bill 1017 and Senate Bill 1576 would require school districts to fund incentives to recruit and retail support staff, subject to the Legislature providing funds for the effort. Superintendents would have to identify positions within their district with at least 20% of jobs vacant.
Schulz said the district is experiencing delays in the hiring process due to COVID-19, and that they did lose some drivers due to their health concerns, but that the district is “hiring ambitious new drivers, many who never considered driving a bus before.”
The district aims to hire at least 20 more drivers by the end of the fiscal year.
Since the beginning of the year, the district has hired two new bus assistants and one operator, according to personnel action items brought before the School Board for approval. Four bus assistants and four bus operators have resigned.
Fellow bus operator Sheila Rush said she’d been a bus driver for over 20 years and still doesn’t make a living wage. She shared she had been “in tears” last month when her 16-year-old granddaughter shared she made just $2 less than her an hour working at a Wendy’s fast food restaurant.
“I’m here, not because of the money, because there’s nothing there, but it’s because of the heart,” Rush said.
File photo by Jarleene Almenas Volusia County Schools bus drivers and attendants are asking the district for a pay rate increase.
Volusia seeks to buy United Way building to relocate fire station 10 big issues at session halftime
It’s got nearly 10,000 square feet of space, but just 736 square feet of it is dedicated to the fire station. The remainder of Volusia County Fire Rescue’s site on Tiger Bay Road in Daytona Beach, while called Station 15, is used for training and an apparatus bay that houses the county’s HazMat fire engine.
The county had plans to expand and remodel the facility to convert it into a functional fire station. But now the county has a new plan to relocate Station 15 and reduce response times in the process.
On Tuesday, Feb. 1, the Volusia County Council approved a proposal for the county to negotiate the purchase of the existing United Way building and property at 3747 W. International Speedway Blvd. in Daytona Beach. If the purchase goes through, the current Fire Rescue training facility would stay put and the new site would be transformed into a fully-functional fire station. The new facility would shave approximately 2.5 minutes off Fire Rescue’s response time to get to the ISB area.
The United Way has plans of its own to relocate from the current site, which includes an approximately 6,726-square-foot building and more than three acres of land.
Fire Rescue budgeted $783,000 to renovate the current Station 15, with the money coming from fire impact fees and the county’s fire fund. Instead, they hope to use about $700,000 of the money to buy the United Way site, which just became available last month.
Abortion, the state budget, and education top the list.
JIM SAUNDERS
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
The Florida Legislature’s 60-day session reached its halfway point Wednesday, Feb. 9. Here are snapshots of 10 big issues in the session:
ABORTION
The Republican-controlled House and Senate are moving forward with a proposal that would prevent physicians from providing abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The heavily debated proposal is similar to a Mississippi law that is being reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court.
BUDGET
Flush with cash from federal stimulus money and higherthan-expected state tax collections, lawmakers appear headed toward passing a record budget for the fiscal year that will start July 1. The Senate last week rolled out a $108.6 billion proposal, while the House proposed a $105.3 billion spending plan.
EDUCATION
Some of the session’s fiercest debates are playing out on education bills, including House and Senate measures that involve how racerelated issues are taught in schools an outgrowth of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ push to prevent teaching of critical race theory. Lawmakers also could address school discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity.
ELECTIONS
The House and Senate have started moving forward with proposals that include adding steps for voting by mail and creating a state office to investigate alleged election irregularities. Republicans contend the bills would help curb fraud, while Democrats say they would make it harder for people to vote.
HEALTH CARE AND COVID-19
Senate Republicans appear poised to approve the confirmation of state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, who has drawn heavy opposition from Democrats because of his views on COVID-19. Lawmakers also are looking at issues such as staffing standards for nursing homes, which face worker shortages.
IMMIGRATION
In a priority of DeSantis, Republican lawmakers are pursuing bills that seek to boost immigration enforcement and penalize companies that transport undocumented immigrants into Florida. Opponents contend, in part, that the bills could prevent unaccompanied immigrant children from being brought into Florida for care and shelter.
INSURANCE
With homeowners seeing hefty rate increases or losing policies, it remains unclear how lawmakers will address problems in the propertyinsurance system. A Senate proposal, in part, targets roofdamage claims that insurers blame for increased costs. A House proposal focuses on issues related to the statebacked Citizens Property Insurance Corp.
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
Calling it the “Local Business Protection Act,” the Senate passed a bill that could lead to businesses filing lawsuits against cities and counties if ordinances cause lost profits of 15% or more. The issue, which has drawn heavy attention from local governments, is pending in House committees.
REDISTRICTING
Lawmakers have passed new maps for state House and Senate districts as part of the once-a-decade reapportionment process. But a map for congressional districts remains in limbo after the DeSantis administration offered a proposal that includes revamping a North Florida district that was designed to help elect Black candidates.
TAXES
Lawmakers near the end of the legislative session will likely agree on a tax-cut package, though it remains unclear whether they will approve a DeSantis proposal to suspend gasoline taxes for five months starting July 1. Lawmakers are looking at increasing the homestead propertytax exemption for teachers, military members and first responders.
News Service file photo Gov. Ron DeSantis gave his State of the State address Jan. 11 to formally start the legislative session.
TRIBUTES
Richard L. Marsh 1952-2022
It is with deep sorrow that Cheryl Marsh announces the passing of her husband, partner, and best friend, Richard L. Marsh, of Flagler Beach, Florida. Richard passed away peacefully on January 5th, 2022 to be with the Lord. He was 69 years old.
Richard was born in Traverse City, Michigan, to the late Lucile Rowe Marsh and Lloyd H. Marsh. In his early years, Richard traveled throughout the Midwest as a man of business before making his way South, where he met the love of his life Cheryl, who he married in August of 2001.
Richard was the founder of Safe Ship®, a national chain of packing and shipping stores. While taking pride in his work and cherishing his marriage to Cheryl, he enjoyed conversation and connection with customers and mentored others interested in entrepreneurship. Anyone who met Richard never forgot his endearing personality and infectious smile that lit up the room. He enjoyed giving life lessons and sharing his love for Christ, from whom he received his strength. Richard always made sure to share how God had brought the most beautiful, caring, and loving woman into his life and how it had forever changed him.
Helping others and giving back was how Richard honored God and the many wonderful gifts that he was given. Memorial donations may be made to The Wounded Warrior Project in Richard’s name, PO Box 758516, Topeka, Kansas 66675.
A celebration of life will be announced at a later date.
