The directors of Renfrew County’s two main school boards say they realize the threat of a bus strike may “bring stress” to what should be a “positive last month before the start of another year of learning.”
But in a joint statement, Kristen Niemi of the Renfrew County District School Board and Mark Searson of the Renfrew County Catholic District School Board say there is nothing more they can do without “draining dollars from schools and classroom programming.”
Renfrew County bus operators announced last week that local families may not have bus service for the start of the school year as the companies still do not have a contract with the local school boards.
The school boards are represented by the Renfrew County Joint Transportation Consortium (RCJTC).
The bus operators said they have been trying to work out a fair deal for nearly a year, but RCJTC has “refused to meaningfully engage” and its last offer of 12% falls “woefully short” of the increase in costs to operate.
In their joint statement, Niemi and Searson say they have the “utmost appreciation and respect for the local school bus drivers who play an important role in our communities, and the educational experiences of our students”…
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