BUS DRIVERS PROTEST NEW OVERTIME RULES BY BISD

(Today's protest and rally at the main office of the Brownsville Independent School District by some 100 bus drivers underscores the problems the distinct has had with its transportation department. Under the old setup, the recent forensic audit found that there was a huge issue with the amount of overtime that was being paid some drivers under the old transportation director, Jose Hector Chirinos. The bus drivers union has been very vocal in its demands for better pay. Recently, they held a blue-flu work stoppage with some 40 drivers absent from their positions and the administration had to hustle and procured replacements to get the students to school and to their homes on time. Today, the parents of students at Oliveira Middle School were called to pick up their kids after a number of drivers did not show up to drive their buses. Across the district, some drivers did show up, but administrators still had students call their parents just in case the buses didn't show up. As the district moves to address the overtime issue at transpiration, it will probably draw the ire of the drivers and their union reps. Below, in case you didn't read the audit, is the section dealing with the Transportation Department. The department is now under the leadership of former Special Needs Director Art Rendon.)

Overtime Issue: Transportation Department Administrator Jose Hector Chirinos:
FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
In interview, Chirinos stated the overtime abuse was there within the Transportation Department when he took over in 2005. He indicated his efforts to curb the abuse were thwarted by the unions and the board. Chirinos blamed the lack of supervisory assistance yet he himself failed to take a hard line on the issue. Based on the interviews of the drivers and monitors, they took full advantage of the ineffectiveness and complacency displayed by then administrator Chirinos.
Not only did Chirinos conceal (and) fail to disclose, but also took measures, in the form of termination and demotion, in an effort to prevent employees within Transportation Department from 1) revealing the truth about overtime abuse; 2) furnishing information ; and 3) confronting the abusers. Starting with Viola Currier in 2006 and continuing to date with Terry Spellane, Chirinos subtly a nd effectively suppressed disclosure and evidence of abuse through firing and demotion.
First, Ms. Currier, with 19 years of experience in Transportation Department was terminated by Chirinos after she questioned employees about their riding the clock. Then, five years later, Ms. Spellane, an experienced accountant, was demoted and removed from payroll by Chirinos after she continued to identify abuse and waste taking place within Transportation.
Ms. Spellane estimated the loss due to the abuse at $600,000 a year. If conservatively only 70 percent were abusing the system by riding the clock one hour per day, the Forensic Audit Staff would put the loss at $420,000 a year, or roughly $2.5 million over the six years in which Chirinos was administrator.
It is highly recommended that strong administrative action with the possibility of termination be taken against Jose Hector Chirinos (and that BISD) hire professional business people with experience in running a transportation department...Of all the violators and abusers, the average number of years with the district was 17 years seniority.