In the clip below, Tamar Their — a district bus driver — shares her concerns about inconsistencies between contract terms and BHPSNJ’s union agreement. Hired in March 2024 as a driver, she points to a strong safety record, consistent availability, and great relationships with students and staff.

According to Tamar, the role she was hired for was never clearly defined. She says Saturday shifts were never part of the original understanding and that her schedule has often been handed to her just days—or even hours—before a trip. That kind of last-minute planning, she says, made it difficult to do the job effectively.

She also points out that while she’s fully qualified and available to drive regular routes, some of those assignments are now being outsourced—at a higher cost to the district. Tamar asked to take on a standard route where she can continue to serve our students.

Tamar’s comments appear to signal deeper issues.

As of the writing of this article – one resident reported the following auto-response to their email from the Transportation Department:

“Due to the overwhelming amount of e-mails please expect a delay in response. If it is an emergency please write EMERGENCY in the title. Thank you for your patience.”

Sources inside the district told NJ21st that school staff are now coordinating directly with drivers due to a lack of follow-through from the department. Last week, they said, was especially problematic.

Transportation has been an ongoing challenge for the District over the past three years. Last year with a new majority in place, the BOE finally added clarity to the policy and eliminated a program that provided transportation to some students for free while charging other families $1,000. Prior to the new policy, families were also faced with abrupt cuts to transportation services following the reconfiguration. Lastly, management of the Department underwent a change in personnel last year. (See Our Wiki for more context)

Here are Tamar’s comments to the Board. We hope the district finds a way to keep her working on behalf of our school community.

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