Plum School Board hires new transportation director, manager
Share this post:
The Plum School District has new leaders in its transportation department.
The school board Tuesday approved hiring Taye Coles as the district’s director of transportation and Mark Delahunty as transportation manager.
Coles’ annual salary was set at $85,000, while Delahunty will be paid $57,000. Both hires are retroactive to Nov. 17.
Coles replaces Scott Mergen as transportation director. The North Allegheny School Board in October hired Mergen as their district’s transportation director.
Coles has 13 years of experience in school transportation and has several years of experience as a commercial driver for public school systems as well as Pittsburgh Regional Transit.
Most recently, Coles was the safety, training and operations manger for W.L. Roenigk and previously worked with A.J. Meyers and Sons, which both provide transportation services to school districts in Western Pennsylvania.
“I look forward to serving the community and the district,” Coles said.
Delahunty replaces Robert VanRyn, who took a job in October at the Penn Hills School District.
Delahunty has been a bus driver with Plum for four years. Before joining the district, he spent 25 years in private sector management and now owns AM&T Real Estate Investment.
Delahunty said his family moved to Plum from North Carolina in 2005.
“It is a great community and a great district,” Delahunty said. “I look forward to being part of helping the district move forward. We have a great staff down there.”
In other transportation personnel actions, the board approved hiring Edward Wikosz, Lynda Stevenson and Samuel Zehr as van drivers, retroactive to Nov. 15. They will be paid $18 per hour, with Zehr serving as a substitute.
Robert Waltz was changed from a bus driver to a substitute bus driver effective Nov. 10 at a $20 hourly rate, while Mike Devine was changed from substitute bus driver to substitute van driver retroactive to Aug. 23 at $18 per hour. Gary West was changed from substitute van driver to full-time bus driver retroactive to Oct. 31 at $23.45 per hour.
The board has also approved buying new buses and vans.
The board authorized Ryan Manzer, the district’s chief financial officer, to seek proposals for four school buses and four school vans.
He is authorized to buy the buses if the total cost does not exceed $520,000, and the vans at a cost up to $380,000.