Department confronts board

Wearing T-shirts reading “Support our team Oscar and Brian,” members of the Sweetwater County School District No. 2 transportation department attended the board of trustees’ monthly meeting Tuesday night, wanting to know what’s next for the group.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, bus driver Laura Pearson approached the board and spoke of how the department was broken.

“I don’t even recognize it,” she told the board.

Before she could continue, Board Chairman Brenda Roosa stopped Pearson from continuing her with comments. Roosa said she stopped Pearson because she was concerned her comments would focus on issues the board could not discuss in public due to personnel issues the group is working through. Before she left the podium, Pearson requested a camera installed in the bus barn’s break room be removed.

The two names on their shirts refer to Oscar Barton, who had served as the director of the department and Brian Beckerman, a mechanic in the department. According to Krista Taylor, a driver for the district, the two were removed from their positions eight days before school started. Taylor also said the administration has not come to the department and told them how they plan to move the department forward.

“We don’t even know who our bosses are,” she said.

The loss of Barton in particular has had an impact on transportation workers. Kelly Harmon said the aftermath of the decision felt like a family being torn apart, saying the workers have had horrible morale during the last few months.

“He was more than a boss, he was our support in this department,” bus driver Leanna Eaton said. She said no one is representing the department in the meetings now.

Pearson said the group is trying represent themselves and keep the door open for dialog between administrators and the department. While she admits the department feels split, she also said they’re working hard to keep things together for the kids they serve daily.

Roosa said they would investigate the issue involving the break-room security camera. Board member Steve Core said he didn’t understand why a camera was installed there and agreed that it should be taken out. In an email to the Star Wednesday morning, Pearson said the department was told the camera would be taken down. Roosa said cameras were installed at the bus barn to protect district property and facilities, however she could not comment further on the situation, citing a need to protect the confidentiality of employee information.