St. Cloud Area School District 742 and the St. Cloud Bus Drivers Association are pleased to report that they reached a tentative two-year agreement for the 2023-2025 contract with the bus drivers of the district on Friday afternoon, subject to ratification by unit members and approval by the School Board. 

The bus drivers’ bargaining unit represents approximately 19 employees, all of whom perform critical student support services for students transporting students to and from St. Cloud schools every day.

Superintendent Laurie Putnam says, “We are thrilled to reach a settlement with our bus drivers before the start of the school year and hope this settlement will allow us to be fully staffed in our transportation department throughout the school year. Our efforts were certainly supported by the additional funding provided this biennium by the legislature, and we are grateful for the opportunity to provide a contract that recognizes the vital work performed by this employee group in safely transporting our students to and from school and extracurricular events throughout the year.”

The 2023-2025 contracts expired on June 30th and district administration and the bus drivers’ bargaining team quickly worked to develop a mutually acceptable

tentative agreement before the start of the school year. Under the terms of the tentative agreement, Van Drivers will receive a 3.0% increase in year one while Bus Drivers and Mechanics will receive a 10% increase to address wage compression, and all members of the unit will receive a 2.25% increase in year two year of the contract. The tentative agreement also includes increases in hourly rates for new employees, an increase in the district contribution for single health insurance and longevity pay for employees with three years of service.

Bus drivers are voting on their tentative agreement on August 15th with board approval expected on August 16th.