By Liz Beavers
lbeavers@newstribune.info
Tribune Managing Editor
KEYSER – The Mineral County Board of Education voted unanimously Monday to uphold the 3 1/2-day suspension of a county bus operator who ran out of gas while on her morning run with a bus full of children.
The operator, Shannon Fink, appealed the suspension as excessive for a first offense, and the hearing was scheduled for shortly after the start of Monday's regular board of education meeting.
Although Board President Terry LaRue asked for a motion to go into executive session to hear the appeal, John Roush, attorney with the West Virginia School Service Personnel Association, who was representing Fink, said his client preferred to have the hearing in open session.
During the hearing, Fink testified that the fuel gauge on her bus registered at a half-tank of diesel fuel when she started her 20-mile run that
morning. She picked up her students as normal, but when she was traveling north on Limestone Road, approaching Route 46, “the bus just stopped.”
When the bus stopped,  Fink said the gauge still registered at a quarter of a tank of fuel.
Transportation Director John Haines testified, however, that the mechanics that worked on the bus after the incident told him the fuel was so low that they had to clean the air out of the intake line. They initially put about 5 gallons of diesel into the bus, but could not get it re-started at that point. Only after they towed the bus back to the county garage, bled the air from the lines and put 10 more gallons in, did the engine kick over.
Haines also told the crowd that each bus operator is mandated by state law, as well as county policy, to do a pre-run inspection - checking fuel, oil, windshield fluid and other items.
As far as mileage is concerned, had the bus had either a quarter or half-tank of fuel, Haines estimated that should have been sufficient for at least 105 miles.
Roush questioned the possibility of a faulty fuel gauge.
“I've never driven a bus, but I've had a bunch of cars, and I know there can be variences in the gas gauges,“ he said.
He also offered the theory that, had the bus only been out of gas, it should have started right up without having to bleed any of the lines or do any work on it.
“Normally, with cars, if you put gas in it, it runs,” he said. “It looks like just any little amount of fuel would have been enough to get it started again.”
Haines noted, however, that “the buses are brought in periodically and inspected,” and Fink's bus had not previously been experiencing any mechanical problems, nor had they noticed any discrepancies in the gauges.
Hackworth, who also testified during the hearing, said Fink had disregarded a county directive to fuel her bus every time it reached the half-tank level.
“She indicated to us she usually fuels it at a quarter of a tank even though she had been directed to do it at a half-tank,” he said, noting that his decision to suspend her without pay was based on “insubordination and neglect of duty” on her part.
After deliberating on the appeal in executive session, the board members voted 5-0 to uphold Hackworth's decision.
Fink already served her suspension from May 12-15.