AKRON, Ohio — A group of independent contracted drivers for Akron Public Schools is asking for a raise, saying the district has hired two additional companies to do the same job but are paying them more.
“We want to be able to survive,” says Brandy Vickers, the spokesperson for the more than 100 Independent Contract Operators (ICO) who transport students with special needs for APS. “We like doing our job, we want to continue to do our job, but we need to be able to afford to do our job.”
Vickers says she’s been an independent driver for the district for the last 17 years and has been reviewing documents she says she received from the district, which show APS is paying two recently hired contracted companies substantially more than independent drivers.
“If we were transporting just like one student, me, being an independent contractor, I would get $11 each way, whereas the company, if they transported that same one student, they would be paid $310 daily,” Vickers explains. “With that being such a huge pay difference and Akron saying that they're in such a financial trouble, you know, why would it be such a huge gap in pay when we're doing the exact same job?”
3News independently requested the documents from APS to confirm Vickers' numbers. The district has yet to provide those documents at the time of this publication.
However, in an e-mail to 3News, a spokesperson from the district writes: “The simple answer, … to why there is a difference in what we pay service contracted companies to drive special education students (which is mandated by law) and what we pay individuals who perform the same task is because they do not offer us equal services. Companies we hire handle all of the logistics, payroll, insurance etc. Individual drivers do not offer those services....so we handle that work ourselves and the drivers do the driving.”
The district also released the following statement:
“Akron Public Schools follow federal law and guidelines for hiring transportation employees responsible for special education, students and our students who are experiencing homelessness. These jobs have a high-level of responsibility. We pay our contracted employees according to the services they provide we believe this compensation is fairly distributed.”
According to the district, APS has a shortage of drivers for school buses and van transportation for special education students.
“Prior to COVID, they (APS) also let 50 drivers go,” Vickers claims. “If they would have just stopped, taken a moment and try to call back the 50 drivers that was already here at a time instead of calling the company, not only could they have had additional drivers but at a way cheaper rate.”
Vickers says she reached out to the district multiple times about the group's concerns and even had a meeting with the superintendent in October.
"He told me he would get back to me prior to the end of the year, so I'm just still waiting for an answer," she adds.
AKRON PUBLIC SCHOOLS FINANCIAL CHALLENGES AND PROPOSED LEVY
The request for a pay increase for APS ICOs comes as the district is preparing to make at least $15 million in cuts to address a projected $16 million budget deficit in Fiscal Year 2025, which the district says could grow to more than $42.4 million if there is no reduction in expenditures and no additional revenue brought into the district. The district also added $1.2 million in debt payments for their administrative building to that number.
During the Treasurer’s report at Monday’s School Board meeting, APS Chief Financial Officer/Treasurer Stephen Thompson said there’s no question that the district needs a levy.
Thompson detailed proposed recommendations for a November 2024 combination levy that includes a 1.3-mill bond issue to build a new North High School and a 7.6-mill operating levy.
If the combination levy makes it to the November ballot and passes, it would generate about $25.7 million annually for district operations and pay for the $85 million bond issuance for the construction of North High School, according to Thompson.
The combined cost to Akron homeowners would be $311.50 annually for every $100,000 of their home’s value.
Thompson says the school board will take the next steps on the proposed levy at the May 20 regular school board meeting.
The district’s financial recovery plan and cuts will be discussed at a finance committee meeting on May 13.
- Akron Public Schools may turn to taxpayers next November to help address budget deficit
- Akron Public Schools approves redistricting plan that includes multiple closures, student transfers
- Akron to install dozens of speed tables, solar speed limit signs in effort to reduce speeding: See a list of where they will be located