Superintendent Goree Moves to Meet Bus Drivers’ Demands [VIDEO]

Caddo Parish Schools Superintendent Dr. Lamar Goree talks with 101.7 / 710 KEEL's Robert J Wright and Erin McCarty about his attempts to upgrade parish school bus drivers pay and work conditions. This comes after a partial driver "sick-out" last Thursday and Friday affecting afternoon schedules.

Following a news conference yesterday, the superintendent's office released the following (in part):

"Caddo Parish Public Schools is committed to meeting the needs of students and that begins with the highest quality staff in every department. As part of that mission, Caddo has been working with Transportation Department employees to address issues and ways to increase efficiencies within the district’s fleet of nearly 300 buses.

On Tuesday, Superintendent Dr. T. Lamar Goree announced responses to more than 20 frequently asked questions from staff members which were discussed during his meetings on Oct. 11 with bus drivers, attendants, office staff and mechanics. The responses seek to break away misconceptions, but more importantly, to provide for an accurate flow of information between district leadership and employees.

In response to employee inquiries, Dr. Goree has tasked the district’s Human Resources Division with conducting a review of bus driver and attendant pay in alignment with comparable districts. Additionally, the district will soon launch a portal that will allow bus drivers to see in real time the status of all field trips and pay associated with field trips. Caddo also is set to begin on-going customer service training for office staff with similar training provided as part of bus driver in-service days."