(Poway, CA) – Bus drivers at the Poway Unified School District, who are represented by SEIU Local 221, spoke at the April 19, 2010 school board meeting in opposition to the Poway Unified School Board’s proposed elimination of regular education transportation for the district.

The elimination of regular education transportation would mean 3,300 Poway Unified students would have to find an alternative way to get to school.

“I am worried about what is going to happen to our kids,” Chuck Lord, a school bus driver said. “Asking them to walk to school isn’t safe. The school board needs to find another way to save money without putting our kid’s safety at risk.”

At the meeting, bus drivers stated that without school buses, some kids will face long walks to school through areas without proper sidewalks or a safe space to walk. They also expressed concerns that putting children on the street will increase the risks of those children coming into contact with dangerous adults.

SEIU Local 221 President Eric Banks also spoke about the impact the transportation cuts will have on the bus drivers and on working families.

“Asking parents to become the primary mode of school transportation places an undue burden on families,” Banks said. “The reality is that many parents will have a very tough time rearranging their work schedules to take their children to school. The Poway Unified School Board should be looking at ways to support working families in this tough economy. Cutting jobs and making school transportation harder for parents isn’t the way to do it.”

If the school board approves the transportation cuts, 39 Poway Unified school bus drivers will lose their jobs.