RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras said payroll issues could have led to a Monday morning school bus driver shortage.
Richmond Schools experienced significant delays Monday morning due to a shortage of 35 school bus drivers.
Richmond Schools employs 127 school bus drivers.
This marks the second instance of a driver shortage this school year.
Kamras acknowledged that while he did not want to speculate on the exact reasons for the high number of driver absences, it is possible that recent payroll issues contributed to the situation.
Specifically, Kamras noted that some drivers may have been dissatisfied with their last paycheck, which was issued on Friday.
Kamras attributed the payroll issues to a new automated time clock system, which he believes may have resulted in some drivers not receiving overtime pay.
The district and the bus drivers have been at odds over how to properly compensate drivers for extra hours worked.
A recent audit raised concerns that some drivers were recording overtime that they did not work.
However, the union representing the transportation workers has contested these findings.
Kamras assured that the pay discrepancies were not intentional and that the district is actively investigating the issue.
He emphasized that all drivers will receive the correct compensation they are owed.
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