East St. Louis schools address unreliable bus service as frustrations mount

Amid mounting frustration over unreliable school bus service, East St. Louis School District 189 is preparing to enlist additional transportation companies.

The district contracts with Illinois Central School Bus in Caseyville to transport its students. The drivers are employees of Illinois Central, not the district. A shortage of bus drivers — which drivers say is the result of alleged mistreatment by Illinois Central — has led to delays, overcrowding and, in some cases, buses not arriving at all, community members reported.

There are about 10 routes for which Illinois Central does not have drivers, Superintendent Arthur Culver said at Tuesday’s board meeting. The district is amending its contract with Illinois Central to seek other transportation vendors to fill the open routes.

District spokesperson Sydney Stigge-Kaufman said the district does not know exactly when it will secure contracts with additional vendors, but it has already held conversations with some.

“These are considered emergency situations, so this will be expedited as much as possible,” Stigge-Kaufman said. “(Families) want safety, they want reliability, and we do as well.”

In a letter to East St. Louis bus drivers, Jason Walker, president and CEO of Illinois Central’s parent company called North America Central School Bus, stressed that District 189 has not removed their contract, but is “keeping all options open to ensure students are transported safely and on time.”

He wrote the district’s decision came after the disruptions sparked by driver shortages and “location tensions.”

“I believe this is a moment for us to reset and refocus,” Walker wrote.

Transportation issues are safety issues, mom says

But until the busing issues are resolved, students’ safety continues to be compromised, a petition from the community group Parents United for Change notes.

The petition, which calls for improved school transportation, says bus problems have led to students missing instructional time, walking through or waiting in high-crime areas, riding on overcrowded buses, and sometimes waiting or walking in inclement weather.

“It’s not acceptable that our kids’ safety be at risk because they can’t find a company that will handle the loads of routes they have,” Tashonia Hentz, a Parents United for Change member and mother of a District 189 student, said at Tuesday’s board meeting.

Illinois Central School Bus regional operations manager Scott Allen said the company acknowledges the safety concerns that come with delayed buses and route disruptions.

“Student safety is our highest priority,” Allen wrote in an email. “We understand the serious implications of transportation delays and disruptions, especially in areas where students may be exposed to unsafe conditions. We are taking concrete steps to improve reliability and reduce missed routes. Our recruitment efforts are underway, and we’ve introduced incentives to retain and attract qualified drivers.”

In some cases, Hentz said she did not receive word about delayed buses until after 8 a.m. By that time, her daughter would have been waiting at the bus stop for hours and Hentz was already at work, she said.

Stigge-Kaufman said the district has responded to similar concerns by staffing an employee to answer bus inquiries beginning at 6:30 a.m. at 618-646-3192. She encourages callers to provide the date, time and route number so the district can address their concerns. Previously, there may not have been anyone available in the transportation office that early.

Finding alternative transportation, such as ride shares, also costs money, the petition notes. Once it cost nearly $30 for Hentz’s daughter to ride Uber home from school, Hentz told the board.

“Nobody has extra money in their budget for something that’s supposed to be covered by the school district,” Hentz said.

Stigge-Kaufman said the district is exploring possible parent reimbursement for transporting students. Both Illinois Central and the school district said they worked together to develop financial incentives to recruit and retain drivers.

Allegations against Illinois Central Caseyville

While school districts nationwide face bus driver shortages, Illinois Central drivers at the Caseyville facility have previously told the Belleville News-Democrat unresolved issues with the company make the situation worse.

Current and former drivers have publicly accused the bus company of mistreatment, unfair pay and contract breaches. Stanley Smalls, who said he represents the Amalgamated Transit Union and spoke for Caseyville members at Tuesday’s board meeting, called Illinois Central’s treatment of its drivers abusive.

“I’m here to tell you a storm is coming …” Smalls told the board. “We need to get in a room and fix this, because our members aren’t trying to walk off the job, they’re not trying to strike, they’re getting ready to quit — period. We’re going to wake up one day and there’s going to be no bus operators.”

When asked about the above allegations, Allen said drivers are the “backbone” of their operation and Illinois Central is dedicated to creating a “respectful, supportive and fair work environment.”

“While we are aware of tensions at the location, we are actively working to reset and refocus our efforts. We’ve engaged union leadership in ongoing dialogue and have put forth proposals aimed at improving working conditions and strengthening collaboration,” Allen wrote in an email. “We believe that through open communication and mutual respect, we can resolve concerns and build a stronger, more unified team.”

He did not specify what those proposals are.

As problems persist, drivers and Smalls have asked District 189 to intervene, but the district has said repeatedly that its hands are tied, as the drivers are not district employees. The collective bargaining agreement in question is between the union and Illinois Central’s Caseyville site. Culver told Smalls Tuesday that he would follow up with him by email.

“We also have to follow the guidance of our attorney who knows what contract law is,” Culver said Tuesday. “It’s inappropriate for a school district, for any entity, to intervene in a contract dispute with someone that doesn’t work for the district.”