A Trousdale County school bus driver asked the Board of Education on Thursday to restore paid sick, personal and inclement-weather days for bus drivers after the district increased drivers’ daily pay in 2021 and removed those benefits.

The driver, identified in the meeting as Miss Beck, told the board that after the pay increase "our sick personal and inclement weather days were eliminated" and asked the board to "permanently reinstate" those days and to reimburse drivers for eight inclement-weather days missed this school year. She told the board many drivers rely on bus pay to support their families and that the lost payments had hurt household finances.

Board members said the change was part of a negotiated compensation plan approved in 2021 that raised pay from about $73 per day to $100 per day and, in exchange, limited pay to days drivers actually worked (no paid inclement-weather days, no paid sick or personal days beyond stockpiled professional-development days). Board member remarks during the meeting referenced minutes from the 2021 action describing that trade-off and said the increase was intended to retain drivers and reduce missed shifts.

After public comment and board discussion, Board member Miss Petty moved to reinstate paid inclement-weather days for bus drivers for the 2025–26 school year. Miss Bowie seconded. The board then voted; according to the meeting record the motion "failed for lack of a majority." The minutes and spoken record do not provide a numerical roll-call tally in the transcript excerpt.

Board members who spoke described the 2021 change as a "deal" offering a large percentage raise to drivers while removing guaranteed pay on days schools were closed. Supporters of the 2021 plan said it reduced missed shifts and helped with recruitment; opponents said the district removed a longstanding benefit that drivers could not control, namely weather.

The board did not take separate action on the public request to reimburse drivers for the eight inclement-weather days in the current school year.

The discussion also covered related personnel items (insurance and overall pay comparisons). Board members and staff said the district has increased other pay lines and benefits in recent years, and that the compensation structure for drivers is kept under review.

The failed motion leaves the 2021 compensation structure in effect for 2025–26; any future change would require board action.