ENROLLED
2020 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 20
BY REPRESENTATIVE WHITE
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To urge and request the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to study the
compensation schedule for school bus operators and to submit a written report of its
findings and conclusions, including any recommendations for related legislation, to
the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education not later
than sixty days prior to the beginning of the 2021 Regular Session of the Legislature.
WHEREAS, R.S. 17:497 provides a schedule of compensation rates to be paid to
school bus operators for the operation of school buses that is based on mileage and the length
of the bus; and
WHEREAS, the schedule, which has been in place since the mid-1980s, is long
overdue for an update reflective of the modern realities of school transportation; and
WHEREAS, commensurate with inflation in the price of gasoline, school bus parts,
and mechanical costs, the costs of school bus operation have risen significantly since the
schedule was developed; and
WHEREAS, considerations at the time the schedule was created, such as a drastic
difference in the cost of operating a bus based on its length, have not come to fruition, and
the schedule does not take into consideration that costs from year to year can vary greatly
since materials such as tires may be replaced in a given year but may not be replaced again
for some time; and
WHEREAS, many school bus operators are being asked to drive for extracurricular
activities such as weekend athletic events in addition to their regular school routes, which
puts additional wear and tear on the buses; and
WHEREAS, bus operators often retire with a retirement benefit that places them
below the federal poverty line, even after decades of service; and
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WHEREAS, many school bus operators have expressed an urgent need for the
compensation schedule to be studied and for an updated methodology to be developed in
order to provide accurate compensation for costs incurred.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
urge and request the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to study the
compensation schedule for school bus operators and to submit a written report of its findings
and conclusions, including any recommendations for related legislation, to the House
Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education not later than sixty days
prior to the beginning of the 2021 Regular Session of the Legislature.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that issues the state board shall study include but
need not be limited to an examination of whether the compensation schedule appropriately
contemplates the cost of driving for extracurricular activities in addition to regular school
routes.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that when conducting the study, the state board shall
consider input from school bus operators through the collection of public comments.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
president of the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the state
superintendent of education.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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