YOUNGSTOWN — Stacey Kennedy loves her job and remains highly dedicated to it, but she also is frustrated because she sometimes feels that she and some of her colleagues have been thrown under the bus.

“They’re my children once they’re on my bus,” Kennedy, a six-year driver for the Youngstown City Schools, said.

Kennedy was among more than a dozen district bus drivers who attended a special board of education ad hoc transportation meeting Wednesday morning at the bus garage building on Teamster Drive near downtown.

Leading the session was the Rev. Kenneth M. Donaldson, who heads the district’s transportation committee.

Kennedy, who has four routes through several parts of the city, said many people have misconceptions about bus drivers’ duties, as well as the high stress level that often accompanies the position. Contrary to merely safely taking students to and from school daily, many drivers often deal with unruly or threatening students and parents, drivers who run red lights, students who engage in fights with one another — or occasionally are found with weapons — and hazardous road conditions during inclement weather, she said.

In addition, “there are a few bad apples who don’t come to work,” but the majority of the drivers are committed to their jobs and ensuring student safety is the top priority, Kennedy continued.

Several of the drivers, including Joni Allen, the transportation department’s shop steward, expressed dismay and frustration regarding how they’re paid, with some opposing the district’s spread pay system.

As per their latest contract, drivers are paid $24.78 per hour in an eight-hour day, for a $198.24 daily rate, and they work 182 days from August to May each school year, which totals $36,079.68 yearly. Spread pay is designed to cover the two months in which the drivers are off work, so the $24.78 hourly salary translates to closer to $17 per hour on her paychecks when spread out over the larger amount of time, Kennedy said.

On the other hand, she praised the district’s benefits package, but added that it’s available only to those who opt for spread pay.

Allen, who has been a driver for about 20 years, took umbrage with having to lose additional money, saying that extra transportation work has been taken from the drivers, including certain field trips and after-school activities. In addition, she called for more transparency regarding drivers’ paychecks so they are better aware of how deductions are being used.

Also, Allen and Kennedy were angered by what they say are significant pay discrepancies between district drivers and those who work for Warren-based Community Bus Services Inc., a private contractor.

According to a cost comparison report pertaining to drivers and mechanics that was made available at Wednesday’s meeting, drivers are seeking a raise to $30 per hour (a CBS driver makes $75 hourly).

District mechanics make $27 per hour and are asking for a raise to between $33 and $35 per hour, the report shows. By comparison, CBS mechanics make $100 per hour, or $208,000 annually, which is based on 260 work days per year, it states.

In athletics, it’s imperative that coaches have a cohesive vision and plan for players to be as productive as possible. Comparatively, such a team approach between the bus drivers and management is essential for producing a healthful culture in the district, said Donaldson, who pastors Rising Star Baptist Church on the East Side. He added that it’s important for drivers to set the tone, he added.

“The culture starts at your level, the driver level,” Donaldson continued.

During his remarks, the longtime pastor also encouraged the drivers to step up to tell the board what changes they wish to see, especially those that they feel will benefit the students.

As a board member, Donaldson said he wants to avoid an adversarial relationship between the stakeholders, and that he views trying to handle the transportation challenges as part of doing what is in the district’s best interests. To bolster his point, Donaldson told the drivers neither he nor fellow board members get paid a lot for their service, yet they remain committed to working with the drivers and other stakeholders.

“We’re here because we want to be here,” he said.

A few drivers said they want to see a new transportation director hired. Nevertheless, the position has been posted three times — along with recommendations sought — but only four applicants have expressed an interest in the post, Superintendent Jeremy Batchelor said.

“We have searched high and low,” he added.

Batchelor said he wants to foster further respect between the drivers and management, but that respect must be two-sided to avoid continual fights and disagreements pertaining to overall accountability.

In his report Wednesday, Treasurer Michael A. Rock noted that the district’s $9.9 million transportation program cost reflects a 36% increase, compared to about $7.2 million last year.