The Hartselle Board of Education eliminated three full-time bus driver positions Monday night to help save the school system money.

School Superintendent Mike Reed recommended that the three positions, which are for special education bus drivers, be cut and then hire two part-time aides to help the other bus drivers with the transportation of special education students.

“The law says you have to have two people on the bus for special ed students,” Reed said. “We will post these positions as soon as possible.”

School Board President Jennifer Sittason said these new positions would not receive any benefits.

“We just had too many bus driver positions,” she said after the meeting. “This will help us save money.”

Due to the reduction in force, the board laid off bus drivers Bill King, Tony Parker and Laura Tapscott. Reed added that these drivers could apply for the aide positions.

This is the second round of cuts made by the board of education. At its May meeting, the board cut three part-time child nutrition positions, a time-out aide and an instructional aide.

While the school system could at least five teacher units in the next school year, Reed said at a previous meeting that the cuts would be absorbed through attrition and retirements.

To that end, the school board approved numerous voluntary transfers at all five schools over the last two meetings. Currently, no classroom teachers have been laid off.