VIDALIA &8212; In the time it took to read a recommendation, make a motion, get a second and all say aye, a money problem that&8217;s lasted months was over.

The local operational allowance given to Concordia Parish School bus drivers will now go up 1 cent per route mile for every 7 cents gas prices go up. Every time gas goes down 7 cents, the allowance will go down 1 cent.

Diesel will be paid at 1 cent higher than the gas rate.

In the last year the drivers have approached the board several times requesting more money to handle rising gas prices. The allowance was increased once, only to see gas prices spike well beyond expectations after the two hurricanes.

Earlier this month the drivers, about 20 strong, came to the school board&8217;s monthly meeting requesting yet another increase and telling the board they didn&8217;t have enough money to keep driving.

An emergency check for roughly two month&8217;s back pay at a rate of 21 percent of the state&8217;s allowance was approved and issued.

At that meeting, two weeks ago, discussions got heated at times and board members asked for more time to examine the situation.

Since then a committee of four school board members, central office personnel and bus drivers from each parish community came to a compromise &8212; the plan approved Tuesday night at a special meeting.

&8220;It&8217;s fair to us,&8221; bus driver James Cockerham said after the short meeting. &8220;You always want more, but I think this is fair and we can live with this.&8221;

Cockerham has served as spokesman for the drivers at all past meetings. He was on the committee and said he felt the group worked well together and represented the larger group well.

Tuesday night&8217;s money increase is not a raise, and does not affect the salary drivers get.

Bus drivers receive an operational allowance from the state based on the distance they drive and their experience.

A driver with 10 years experience and a 12.6 miles long route gets $4,324.84 from the state.

The local operational allowance is additional money.

Summer months will be paid based on average gas prices for September through May times the number of route miles.