YOUNGSTOWN — Initially, Stacey Kennedy had no intention of becoming a city school bus driver, but after a friend encouraged her otherwise because of the solid healthcare package the Youngstown City School District offered, she was on board.

Kennedy’s former husband made a liveable wage, but when he became ill and needed to be hospitalized, he had no healthcare coverage, she said.

For about six years, Kennedy, who had worked as a restaurant server and a nail stylist, has been a bus driver in the district. She has thrived on the Youngstown City Schools’ healthcare policy, but now she and many of her co-workers fear some of that could be taken away prematurely.

“I want to keep my job; I want to keep my healthcare,” Kennedy said after the Youngstown Board of Education’s regular meeting Tuesday at Youngstown Rayen Early College High School.

Kennedy’s concerns — along with those of many of her colleagues — were raised when the board outsourced transportation districtwide via approving a two-year contract late last month with Cincinnati-based Petermann Bus Co. beginning in the 2026-27 school year.

Even though a collective bargaining agreement between the district and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1143, which represents the bus drivers, ends June 30, 2028, their current healthcare coverage could cease Dec. 31, 2027, six months before the agreement expires, Kennedy explained.

“After that, it’s up in the air,” she said.

Kennedy added that she pays $100 per month for her healthcare insurance, but that under Petermann’s plan, that monthly cost could double or triple.

“I can’t get answers,” she said with frustration. “I feel that all the things they promised us, they’ve taken away from us.”

Kennedy’s current healthcare coverage is a “90/10” plan, meaning her insurer pays 90% of the costs and she pays the rest, she explained. Petermann’s more expensive plan is “80/20,” she continued.

Kennedy said that most importantly, she enjoys her position and feels that the estimated 33 bus drivers on the district’s healthcare plan should be grandfathered in to keep their coverage intact.

“We come to work. We care about our kids; we care about our community, and we love our jobs,” she said, adding, “We just want what’s right.”

Echoing similar sentiments was Joni Allen, a 20-year district bus driver who had worked as a massage therapist and also was attracted to the healthcare package the district offered.

She also expressed frustration at feeling she has not received consistent answers from either the district or Petermann officials regarding the status of her healthcare.

Transportation-related challenges and difficulties in the district could have been fixed in-house, without a need for outsourcing, Allen said.

Superintendent Jeremy Batchelor had no comment regarding the drivers’ concerns, saying that negotiations between the district and AFSCME Local 1143 are ongoing.

HELP FROM PARENTS

In another matter, Batchelor said after Tuesday’s session that he is seeking further assistance from students’ parents regarding the district’s code of excellence in which the parents serve as closer partners with the district to educate the students. The plan has remained largely the same for the past five or six years, but has been tweaked when necessary, he added.

“At the end of the day, education starts at home,” Batchelor said.

Part of the plan has entailed having students articulate what they wish to see in their new school and to set a more positive tone. An overarching goal is to create a new school environment and a more positive perception of the city schools, and no longer have “the tail wagging the dog,” with a few “bad actors” being the district’s face, he continued.

The superintendent added that he’s not worried about possible violence or serious problems arising because of the reconfiguration plan. Natural conflicts are possible, and most of the students have bought into the merger of Chaney and East high schools, so it’s important for adults and others to refrain from casting an automatic negative light on the plan, he said.

Also, the district has a partnership with the Community Initiative to Reduce Violence organization to handle any problems, Batchelor added.