Churchill County School District honors school bus driver

Churchill County School District Superintendent Derild Parsons took the first part of the Sept. 13 school board meeting to recognize bus driver Linda Diaz and then released a more in-depth statement on a fatal motorcycle accident the next day.

Parsons told trustees Diaz died Sept. 10 in a motorcycle accident.

“Linda was more than just a driver for the kids who rode her bus, to and from school every day,” Parsons wrote. “She was also a friend, a motherly figure, and most of all a warm, sweet, caring woman with a big personality who greeted them each day – her students adored her. She will be sorely missed by her co-workers at transportation, her students, and the rest of the Churchill CSD staff, for she truly made a difference in the lives of everyone who knew her.”

Linda Diaz 

 

Diaz was a CCSD driver for 18 years and was particularly associated with bus No. 10. CCSD drivers decorated the bus in red, Diaz’s favorite color. Tristen Salazar, Diaz’s son and a substitute school bus driver with the district, drove bus 10 on its route for “Linda’s Last Run” on Saturday before her memorial service.

Diaz was married to her husband Thomas for 17 years. Together they shared seven children: Tommy, Tyler, Drake, Tasha, Tristen, Isiah and Andre.

Sara Dowling/LVN

Churchill County school bus drivers decorated bus 10 in memory of Linda Diaz who died Sept. 10 in a motorcycle accident.

 

School board meeting

The Churchill County School Board of Trustees approved two negotiated agreements, left the district retirement incentives program inactive and approved a modified transportation policy during the regular meeting.

The board unanimously approved the proposed changes to the 2023-24 and 2024-25 School Year Negotiated Agreement between the Churchill County School District and the Churchill County Education Association and then ratified both agreements.

Some of the larger changes include a 12.75% salary increase for the current year and a 4% salary increase next year. Converted unused personal days have increased to $160 per day. Salary placement is now in line with the Nevada Revised Statutes so new hires get the higher amount of experience as long as it doesn’t exceed the district’s salary table.

With the increases in salary and personal days the changes have a projected cost for the two years of $3,875,112.

During public comment E.C. Best third-grade teacher Monica Mayfield thanked the CCEA negotiations team and the board trustees for “a step in the right direction” with regard to giving teachers a livable wage.

“I want to thank you for the hope that these increases have given to many teachers and I want to thank you for valuing our profession. I hope that we can move forward and we can work together since we all have the same goal in mind in education,” Mayfield said.

A new part of the approved contract states that the board will vote every September whether to take action for early retirement incentives for classified, licensed and other employees during the current school year. Staff will then be notified of the decision to give them the opportunity to plan accordingly.

Parsons told the board the district currently has many job openings and there’s no financial benefit to the district to provide retirement buyouts at this time.

Trustees unanimously declined the incentive for the 2023-24 school year.

Parsons also presented information to the board regarding the difficulty in providing transportation to away athletic events for all student athletes due to staff shortages. After some discussion, the board approved a modification to the transportation policy that allows parents to transport student athletes in certain circumstances when safety requirements are met.

The modification is not intended to replace standard practices and will apply only when a school bus is unavailable. Coaches are responsible for coordinating the vehicles and drivers and obtaining parent permissions for the trips.