LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville officials are calling it an unprecedented move: An agreement essentially to loan the city's major school district 70 bus drivers for a year to help alleviate staffing shortages, in turn saving these drivers from being laid off by their own employer.
After seven weeks of negotiations, Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) and Transportation Authority River City (TARC) announced a deal the district says will allow some magnet and traditional school routes to be restored through the contracting of TARC drivers -- effectively bringing bus service back for a select number of students.
On Monday in front of TARC headquarters, Mayor Craig Greenberg was joined by JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio, TARC Interim Director Ozzy Gibson, driver union leaders and the Louisville Urban League to make the major announcement.
Pollio says adding these bus drivers will let them restore school bus transportation for the "most in-need families and children."
"This is not a long-term solution. This is a short-term solution, or a Band-Aid, to the issue we are having nationally with bus drivers," Pollio said. "So, this gives some reprieve over the coming year of which we can get our neediest kids to school."
Around 15,000 magnet and traditional school students were estimated to lose bus services starting in the fall.
WHAS11 asked how many students could see transportation return, to which Pollio answered, "Well, that's something we're working on now. We can't say exactly what we will be able to restore. One of the things we have to be confident in is that we don't end up in the same scenario we were in this year -- which is kids coming late to school."
Negotiations started in mid-April after Greenberg and other city leaders proposed a partnership between JCPS and TARC to address current challenges, including TARC's looming budget deficit.
To avoid layoffs amid service reductions, this alternative keeps drivers under the TARC umbrella and union, but gives them consistent work driving kids to and from school.
"For the most part, we're looking forward to again stepping up for the community and answering the call," TARC Union (ATU Local 1447) President Lillian Brents said, when WHAS11 asked if her members were on board with the deal.
Brents maintains their long-term solution is still to convince the city to help fund TARC.
Pollio reiterated they still need to find ways to get more permanent drivers into JCPS buses, noting that 700 is the staff number that would allow the district to offer transportation for all students while also getting everyone to and from school on time.
With the 70 added TARC drivers, Pollio said that would put JCPS at 600 total bus drivers for the start of the 2024-25 school year.
JCPS still needs around 200 more bus drivers to fully solve its current transportation challenges. If you would like to apply, please click here.
Once it became likely that an agreement would be reached, officials said TARC proposed to move up the timeline for its plan to reduce the frequency of certain routes to make drivers available for the upcoming school year.
The TARC Board will vote on the agreement on Friday, June 7.
Meanwhile, the Jefferson County Board of Education is expected to vote on the deal at its next meeting on June 25.
The school district assures TARC drivers will be getting a raise, but they won't make more than current JCPS drivers. Justin Scharrer, president of the union representing JCPS bus drivers, says this was an obstacle early on in discussions.
"We were able to execute a deal where everybody is being paid parity -- exactly the same," Scharrer said.
Officials said JCPS will announce the routing updates in the next few weeks once they known the exact number of TARC drivers applying and once they identify the routes that can be restored.
JCPS officials say parents have until June 6 to let the district know how their kids will get to and from school for the 2024-25 school year.
Watch the full news conference:
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