WALLED LAKE, Mich. – The Walled Lake Consolidated Schools Board of Education voted 7-0 Thursday night in favor of privatizing the district's bus services.
The district has faced strong opposition from bus drivers who argued privatizing bus services would not be not a good move.
"Three years ago my members took $5 million in cuts to fight off a private company at that point in time," said Ann Ridge, president of the Walled Lake Transportation Association. "They took a 10 percent pay cut. They pay 20 percent toward their health benefits."
Read: Bus drivers fight privatization at Walled Lake schools
Superintendent Kenneth Gutman said the move to privatize will save the district $1.4 million a year for each of the next three years.
"We love our drivers. They're outstanding. It's not personal," he said.