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School bus drivers in Forsyth County are expected to strike Friday

Like many school systems in North Carolina, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools is looking for more bus drivers. Right now, the district has 286 drivers on payroll and as of last week, there were roughly 65 open positions. KERI BROWN/WFDD

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools could face a potential bus driver strike on Friday. The district says it wasn't given any official notification and learned of the possible action through local media reports.

It's unclear how many bus drivers would go on strike, but groups on social media and other outlets say an event will take place on Friday morning in front of the district's Education Building.

Bus drivers have been asking for more compensation, better radio equipment and support for added stress they've experienced during the pandemic. The district says it has responded by increasing the starting wage to $15 an hour, bonuses, and other incentives.

Superintendent Tricia McManus says a strike would hurt students and that is never the right way to make a point.

Bus drivers in the school system are public employees and striking would be a violation of state law. Val Young, president of the Forsyth County Association of Educators, says she applauds the district's recent efforts to improve pay and bus driver recruitment. But she says more investments are needed to address higher cost of living and working conditions.

“FCAE does not support an illegal action, so what we are going to do is support them by going to the table and talking to our superintendent about the needs that will help our employees do a better job.”

Young says that will happen this week as part of regular meetings with district leaders to discuss compensation for classified staff.

The school system is currently providing transportation to around 32,000 students.

Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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