District’s $27.00/hr. Pizza Delivery Driver

At a time when we are cutting curriculum including music and sports from our schools, we can all rest assured that we spare no expense in ensuring meal delivery to our schools.

As recently posted on the district job site, the advertisement for “Head Food Service Driver/Warehouseman” was listed. The wage listed was $27.14/hr.; qualifications: maintain a current/valid driver’s license, operate and control equipment, ability to lift up to 90 pounds routinely, provide customer service, knowledge of commercial cleaning, perform work to industry standards, supervise personnel and inventory.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) may want to talk to the district about routinely lifting 90 pounds without mechanical assistance or physical assistance. But this is not much different than what would be expected of any pizza franchise delivery driver. They must have a current driver’s license plus provide their own insurance and use their own vehicle and their own gas –- and they are expected to get the majority of their wages through tips! So they are expected to provide excellent customer service and they probably also help with clean up when they get back to the store.

I don’t dispute anyone making as much money as they can and someone who has a technical training or advanced certification deserves compensation for those abilities. But driving a non-CDL required vehicle to and from schools with carts of prepared food seems pretty steep at $27.14 an hour. Paraeducators and others who have direct interaction with our customers (our students) get paid far less.

At some point in time our district will have to have a serious conversation about compensation and staffing. But it will not happen with our present board or our present superintendent.

So the next time you order pizza, along with giving the driver a gratuity, you might give him a tip to apply for a district food-service driver position.

-- Phil Hemingway