She said the women were qualified and have a commercial driver’s license as required by the state and have experience.
“We have concerns about this process...for hiring drivers and rehiring,” Winfrey said.
Dayton Public, like many other districts, has struggled to recruit and retain bus drivers.
The district is also facing a busing issue as a new state law bars students from using the downtown Dayton bus hub to transfer if they are using school-issued passes. Previously, DPS was buying RTA passes for high school students to get to school. Students can still buy RTA passes on their own.
DPS leadership has said previously that part of the reason why high school students can’t be taken to school on yellow buses is because of a lack of drivers, as well as not having enough buses. Getting a new school bus can take more than a year.
DPS superintendent David Lawrence told board members that they would get an email about high school busing options for next school year by Wednesday evening. The district will still bus kindergarten through eighth grade students on yellow buses.
“I followed the proper procedures and I’m wondering why I’m not eligible for rehire,” said Tynesha Horton, who said she left Dayton Public when she had pregnancy complications.
Horton said she had no write-ups and no disciplinary action when she left and provided two weeks of notice.
“This isn’t just about a job for me,” Horton said at a the Dayton Public Schools board meeting on Tuesday night. “It’s about a passion to serve.”
Another woman, Regina Hawkins, said she left her job when dealing with post-partum depression.
“I was told if I resigned from my job, I was able to come back within two years as long as I did the proper things I was supposed to do,” Hawkins said.
But this year, when she applied, she was told she would not be able to get her job back and that it was a district-wide decision from the board.
Serena Murphy, another former bus driver, said she had a similar experience. She said in a job interview with the transportation department, she was essentially told to expect an email offering her the job. When she didn’t get the email, she asked the district for an explanation, and felt she was not offered one.
Michelle Shoecraft left her position as a bus driver for a few months after her sister died, and said she only resigned because she was told her job would be there for her after she was ready.
“I never would have left knowing that I wasn’t going to get my job back,” Shoecraft said.
Several board members thanked the former bus drivers who came to the meeting, including board member Will Smith and board president Chrisondra Goodwine.
“Thank you for continuing to do your part,” Goodwine said. “Thank you for coming to advocate for yourself.”
DPS staff asked for contact information for the four women who spoke and said they would follow up.
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