YOUNGSTOWN — The Youngstown Board of Education has approved a resolution to award a two-year contract to a longtime private company to handle the district’s transportation needs.

During a special meeting Thursday at Youngstown Rayen Early College High School, the board voted 5-1-1 to outsource transportation via hiring Cincinnati-based Petermann Bus Co., which precedes the start of the district’s reconfiguration plan to consolidate East and Chaney high schools into the single Youngstown High School on the East Side next school year.

Most of the meeting was a question-and-answer session between company representatives and the board, and before an audience of several dozen, including members of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1143, which represents the bus drivers.

Petermann officials also were scheduled to meet with the drivers, aides and other stakeholders at 8:30 Friday morning at the Youngstown City Schools’ bus garage on Teamster Drive to hear their input regarding the move.

In its regular meeting Tuesday, the board recommended hiring Petermann but took no formal action.

In Thursday’s vote, Tina Cvetkovich, board vice president, abstained. Board member Brenda Kimble voted no, saying she felt the move was too rushed and should have again been tabled to allow more time to explore and delve into it further.

During Thursday’s session, Petermann representatives outlined some of their promises to the stakeholders that includes allowing them to continue receiving the district’s health care benefits for the remainder of the collective bargaining agreement, with a built-in stipulation they can be on the company’s insurance after the agreement expires June 30, 2028. Along those lines, employees will continue to pay their 10% share of health insurance.

In addition, Local 1143 drivers and aides will remain in the union, according to information at the meeting.

Also under Petermann’s terms:

* Employees will be paid for a six-hour workday and work a full six hours.

* Overtime will be calculated weekly instead of daily.

* The company will abolish stretch pay.

* Drivers who do not work during the summer may be eligible for unemployment compensation during those months, which would amount to about 50% of their base pay.

Also included in the company’s proposal are technology costs and maintenance repairs up to $2,500 per repair, along with management, route coverage, compliance and transportation oversight, according to Petermann, which also has listed restoring transportation for high school students as a top priority. Currently, many such students have to rely on Western Reserve Transit Authority buses to get to and from school.

In addition, employees will have access to their pay records, and discrepancies will quickly be addressed and fixed, one company official explained.

Company officials also corrected information Superintendent Jeremy Batchelor had received regarding whether the drivers can remain in the School Employees Retirement System of Ohio by saying they will be able to do so. Employees will continue to pay their employee contributions while Petermann will pay employer contributions, according to the company.

One Petermann representative said the current district drivers will be hired upon undergoing routine physical exams and background checks, and that negotiations with their union will begin “on Day 1.”

In response to concerns about the district’s acute and ongoing bus driver shortage, company officials said that while they do not have a surplus of drivers, they can opt to pull drivers and mechanics from other areas to fill gaps. In some cases, Petermann staff members can fill in, one of the officials said.

The board also was told that the company will follow the district’s discipline policy regarding handling students who are unruly and have behavior issues.

Nevertheless, several bus drivers after the session expressed concern, fear and skepticism about the outsourcing decision.

“There are a lot of moving parts I don’t understand. We need more time,” Michael Howell, who has been a district driver for several years, said.

“Most of us are scared. We don’t know what’s going to happen,” added Brenda Moore, who’s been a driver since 2017. “I’m very nervous.”

Ithaca Stewart-Brown, Local 1143’s president, said that the district has brought in other private companies to address certain problems but yielded poor results.

The board’s decision to hire Petermann Bus Co. came too quickly, with only a few days between making the recommendation and hiring the company, Joni Allen, a 20-year driver and shop steward, added.

It also will take time to establish trust — especially since “I have not seen anything on paper,” Allen said.