We recently received an inquiry on the issue of school district employees working in the bus maintenance facility who sometimes use the garage to work on personal vehicles outside of their own work hours.
After some research into this kind of employee use of the transportation facility, we can affirm that there is, in fact, a longstanding practice predating the current district and transportation department administration, that allows bus mechanics working in the bus maintenance facility to use the garage to work on personal vehicles on a necessary basis, and only during their non-regular working hours.
This limited use of the district’s facilities was permitted because mechanics are required to provide their own tools as part of their employment.
From a district memo dated May 2003:
RE: Use of School Facilities for Repair on Personal Vehicles
I wish to remind all employees working in the bus garage repair facility that the district’s policy for use of such facility by the mechanics is limited to non-regular working hours as well as work on your own personal vehicle… the district’s practice has allowed limited use of the garage facilities due to the fact that each mechanic is required to provide their own tools as part of their employment.
“In response to an inquiry about the practice we immediately looked into the matter and soon confirmed that the practice has been permitted since at least 2003,” said Superintendent Marie Wiles.
As a follow up to the inquiry, the superintendent of schools will bring the matter to the board at its September 17 meeting to consider the current protocol outlined in the memo and determine what, if any, district policy on such practice should be. The Board meets at 7 p.m. in Guilderland High School Large Instruction Room (LGI).