WINFIELD - Some Putnam County teachers have concerns about being told to ride a school bus to an upcoming continuing education workshop.
School board member Bruce Knell said during a school board meeting Monday night that more than 20 teachers contacted him after they were told they would need to ride a school bus to a countywide continuing education program at Buffalo High School this Friday.
Knell, who taught in the school district for about 40 years, said when he was a teacher they often carpooled to workshops. Knell said the district's bus plan was not cost-effective. He believes the district should have just told teachers to carpool. He said parking shouldn't be an issue.
"I'm sure there won't be any more teachers there than would be attending a basketball game," Knell said.
Some teachers told Knell that they felt like children being bussed on a field trip. School board member Rob Cunningham also received a few calls. He said the teachers were responsible enough to figure out the proper way to transport themselves to the event.
"We wouldn't employ them if they weren't responsible people" Cunningham said.
Doug Cross, the district's director of secondary of education, said teachers who live in the area were not required to take a bus. He said there was limited parking at the school, which is why they decided to provide school buses for teachers. The district will be paying for the costs of eight buses.
Cross said the district has bussed people in the past, but it has been several years.
"I was just trying to help teachers out," Cross said. "I was trying to be beneficial for them."
School Superintendent John Hudson said another reason the district encouraged buses is because they would have to reimburse teachers for gas mileage.
Hudson said the district will discuss how to handle transportation for teachers to similar events in the future. A similar workshop is planned for March.
Reach Ali Schmitz at ali.schmitz@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4843 or follow @SchmitzMedia on Twitter.