Stafford MSD plans to use coaches as bus drivers for some games

[18handicap]

Stafford MSD plans to use coaches as bus drivers for some games
By SESHADRI KUMAR
Chronicle Correspondent


Stafford Municipal School District plans to use athletic coaches as bus drivers to transport athletes to games outside the district.

Superintendent H.D. Chambers included the cost-savings item in the proposed 2007-08 SMSD budget. But, it has elicited protests from several parents who believe that the move endangers children's safety.

Chambers explained the proposal at the July 23 school board meeting and said the proposal would save the district about $30,000. Also, when regular drivers are diverted to transport athletes, substitutes have to be used for regular routes and parents don't like that, he said.

Regular bus drivers are paid overtime when they transport students to games, but coaches who drive buses will be paid a flat fee of $25 per trip.

Chambers said about 20 coaches are being trained to obtain a commercial driver license to enable them to drive school buses.

Rodney Butler of Stafford told trustees that coaches are not experienced bus drivers. Twenty hours of training will not make a coach a better driver than the bus drivers who have 15 or 20 years of experience, Butler said. Also, coaches have to teach, then prepare the athletes for the game, drive them to the venue, coach them during the play and then drive back home. The job would place a lot of stress on the coaches, he said.

[buff4life]

whats the big deal...giddings coaches drive players in every sport?

[swarm]

Whats the big deal, been driving a bus and coaching for 28years.

Poor coachs LOL

[burnet44]

lol
no kidding

[luvhoops34]

I hope super1 doesn't see this thread.:eek:

[LH Panther Mom]

Heck, I remember my dad driving a regular bus route, in addition to driving buses to away games.

[hawkfan]

Originally posted by swarm
Whats the big deal, been driving a bus and coaching for 28years.

Poor coachs LOL

You said it, except I don't get paid 25 dollers per trip. I get zero dollars for that

[burnet44]

other duties as assigned lol
we all have that lol

[44INAROW]

heck, when I was in school. (of course that was when we had 4 or 5 coaches total) the Head Coach drove the bus and the DC had to wash the unis and towels......

[Matthew328]

Our coaches always drove the bus when I was at Everman .....the only time the bus drivers drove the bus was for like band and drill team since those sponsors didnt have CDLs

[pirate4state]

Hasn't it always been the JR high coaches that drive the buses? I think it stinks, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

[swarm]

Jr. High drives the buses to their games and the high school drives the buses to their games.

[swarm]

Jr. High drives the buses to their games and the high school drives the buses to their games.

[Gobbla2001]

we had coaches drive buses to our games sometimes...

stafford coaches have been spoiled too long it seems...

[burnet44]

Originally posted by pirate4state
Hasn't it always been the JR high coaches that drive the buses? I think it stinks, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

the jh coaches scout the next game on Fridays

[Gobbla2001]

Originally posted by burnet44
the jh coaches scout the next game on Fridays

and/or haul all of the equipment and make sure the waterboys (usually their sons) keep everyone hydrated...

I'm sure it's different everywhere... depends on how the AD/HC runs it...

[burnet44]

depends on how many coaches ya got

[18handicap]

I know one district where the coaches used to get paid to drive the bus and then all of a sudden it was taken away from them and they had to drive for free. I remember the saying by the person in charge, "I didn't get paid when I drove the bus when I used to coach."

Where I'm at now, we're supposed to have our bus certification, but not all do. That creates a bind on the rest of us especially when you're the only coach in your sport that can drive and you have 3 teams. I don't mind driving, especially since we get paid well for driving our teams, but the long trips to Killeen/Belton/Temple over and over get tough after a while.

I thought the article was funny in a way because it was a parent that complained that the coaches shouldn't be driving. But after playing Stafford a few times, the coaches need to do the driving.

[Fotbol]

Small schools coaches always drives buses, bigger schools have drivers!

[18handicap]

We're AAAAA and we have to drive.

[buff4life]

my bad i figured since this was 3a downlow and i thought stratford was 4a or lower...

[Fal44]

bus drivers drive us... we have one coach who drives the buses but hes a teachers aid or something..

[g$$]

Originally posted by buff4life
my bad i figured since this was 3a downlow and i thought stratford was 4a or lower...

Stratford is 5A (West Houston off I-10 & Dairy Ashford, top qb in state this year too named Andrew Luck committed to Stanford, Oliver's son btw)

Stafford is 3A (SW Houston off Hwy 59 & Alt 90)

...way different school districts!

Interesting stuff 18 Handicap.

[burnet44]

and Stratford 2A in the panhandle

[g$$]

Originally posted by burnet44
and Stratford 2A in the panhandle

Correct, forgot about that one.

[burnet44]

do i get cred
I could use some lol

[18handicap]

Yes, I thought it was interesting. Stafford MSD is AAA, that is why I posted it here too. g$$, you should be very familiar with the guys that have to drive for free -- that used to get paid to do it. Another Robin Hood casulty........

[AP Panther Fan]

I think we use a combination of drivers and coaches, depending on the sport. As someone already mentioned, between the band (and their equipment vehicle), the cheerleaders and the team, we usually do have one of the coaches driving the boys. The JH coaches are scouting.

Not sure how much extra anyone gets paid though.

[luvhoops34]

At Poth 2A, the coaches all have to drive. JV coaches have to drive for the varsity. And no additional pay. It falls under "other duties as assigned."

Varsity football, the DC drives the head coach in his personal truck, while one of the other coaches drives the bus with the kids.

Super1 needs hazard pay for driving Coach Bone.:D

Football team got a charter bus when we played Bracketville. Girls basketball had to tough it out on the old yellow dog.

[g$$]

Originally posted by 18handicap
Yes, I thought it was interesting. Stafford MSD is AAA, that is why I posted it here too. g$$, you should be very familiar with the guys that have to drive for free -- that used to get paid to do it. Another Robin Hood casulty........

Oh I know! I knew your reference when I read it & who made the statement about "when I coached". Another Robin Hood casualty is exactly right.

[Hupernikomen]

Originally posted by hawkfan
You said it, except I don't get paid 25 dollers per trip. I get zero dollars for that

This coaches are loving this no doubt...plenty of school districts out there that make them drive and don't pay them anything. This is a good situation for the coaches. The one's who are upset will be those drivers who make so little to begin with that don't get the overtime anymore.

30K is a significant savings though on top of major relief of having to find replacements when they are gone on athletic trips.

[18handicap]

I put this on old coach too.

Reason why I don't mind driving my own bus was because years ago after knee surgery I couldn't drive and we went to a tournament. When we were finished, there was no bus. That was before cell phones and so we were stuck -- the driver -- she went to the mall and then went to visit a friend and fell asleep and forgot about us. The parents took us all home and I would have liked to see her face when she showed back up over 2 hours late and we were gone home.

[luvhoops34]

Originally posted by 18handicap
I put this on old coach too.

Reason why I don't mind driving my own bus was because years ago after knee surgery I couldn't drive and we went to a tournament. When we were finished, there was no bus. That was before cell phones and so we were stuck -- the driver -- she went to the mall and then went to visit a friend and fell asleep and forgot about us. The parents took us all home and I would have liked to see her face when she showed back up over 2 hours late and we were gone home.

I bet she didn't drive your bus anymore..:eek:

[g$$]

Originally posted by 18handicap
I put this on old coach too.

Reason why I don't mind driving my own bus was because years ago after knee surgery I couldn't drive and we went to a tournament. When we were finished, there was no bus. That was before cell phones and so we were stuck -- the driver -- she went to the mall and then went to visit a friend and fell asleep and forgot about us. The parents took us all home and I would have liked to see her face when she showed back up over 2 hours late and we were gone home.

Wow! I'm guessing you marked her off the list for future trips. And I hope she was reprimanded too. That's a long trip home for her with no passengers & lots of explaining to do.

[18handicap]

I limped my way on the bus from then on and drove it myself. Just had to make sure I had an automatic transmission bus. Meant that I always had a new bus, even for a short trip. They even gave me a new route bus (temporarily) because my regular bus was a 1984 Ford diesel bus with 5 speed transmission. I miss that old bus -- it would run 70 easy (and it was legal in Louisiana to drive the regular speed limit).