Mat-Su school district may offer gas cards if bus drivers strike

What you need to know:

• The Mat-Su School District is considering giving gas gift cards to some families to help cover transportation costs if school buses stop running because of a driver strike. The subsidy would be a flat rate per student and funded from the district’s general fund.
• If bus workers strike, the union says it will give advance notice to families and school district officials so they can prepare.
• Durham bus workers represented by Teamsters Local 959 authorized a strike over unresolved contract issues. Their current contract with Durham School Services ends Feb. 4.

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PALMER — The Mat-Su School District may give gas gift cards to some parents if school buses stop running during a bus driver strike that could begin as early as next month, officials said.

Members of Teamsters Local 959, which represents most Matanuska-Susitna Borough school bus workers, voted Jan. 13 to authorize a strike if contract negotiations with Durham School Services, the district’s primary bus contractor, fail before the current contract ends Feb. 4.

The school district may offer gas gift cards to help families offset the cost of providing their own transportation, administrators told the school board during a regular meeting Wednesday.

The plan would likely provide a flat-rate subsidy per student, a district spokesperson said in an email Monday. The idea is similar to one discussed during a 2023 bus worker walkout but ultimately sidelined when the strike ended, according to district documents. It would be paid from the district’s general fund, officials said during the meeting.

Whether the district ultimately offers the benefit could come down to budget priorities, school officials told the board.

“It’s certainly within the board’s discretion to use those operating dollars for gas cards. But remember, if we don’t use those operating dollars for gas cards, that is operating dollars that we do retain that can be used for next year,” Assistant Superintendent Katie Gardner said during the meeting.

Durham is only paid if buses are running, officials said. Any transportation funds not spent during a strike could be saved for next year’s bus expenses, Gardner said.

The district is facing a more than $20 million deficit heading into the 2026–27 school year and budget process, officials said last month.

On Wednesday, school board members asked Gardner and Superintendent Randy Trani to develop options in case a strike moves forward. That includes evaluating the total cost of gas card subsidies and the long-term impact of canceling the bus contract outright or rebidding it to provide only special-needs transportation.

“I want every option on the table, instead of like three years ago, where we were just sitting here looking at the sky,” board member Ole Larson said. “I’d like these options here for this board. I’m not saying we’re going to go through with them, but I sure would like to explore them.”

Durham’s current contract with the Mat-Su district runs through 2032 and is worth at least $188 million.

If workers do strike, the union will give advance notice to parents and school district officials that no bus service will be available so they can plan ahead, officials said.

“I’ll make this commitment: There will be a very widely known and public date that will come far in advance. The public will know what’s going on,” said Kelsey Taylor, a Teamsters business agent participating in the negotiations with Durham.

Taylor said they are contractually required to give Durham 10 days’ notice before the first day they can strike but can opt to stop work any time after that.

Bus workers last went on strike in 2023 after Durham and the union failed to reach an initial work contract following months of negotiations. That walkout began without warning in the middle of the school day, leaving parents scrambling to arrange transportation for their students.

Talks between the union and Durham are currently at a standstill, with no future meeting dates scheduled, a union official said Monday.

Union officials said the stalemate is primarily over issues related to driver and bus safety — including what they describe as insufficient driver training, a lack of regular safety checks, ongoing maintenance needs and a company requirement that workers pay out of pocket for additional medical screenings.

Officials with Durham said the company already provides the necessary training and inspections, and that ongoing contract issues include wage and pension demands.

The workers’ current contract ends Feb. 4. Union officials said they are required to give Durham 10 days’ notice before the first day they can strike but can opt to walk out any time after that.

About 230 Durham employees — including bus drivers, monitors and attendants — are members of the union. About 99% of those who voted authorized the strike, union officials said.

-- Contact Amy Bushatz at contact@matsusentinel.com