Think of Us as a Barrier to the
Elements...
❝
When the three-point belts came available, our transportation staff said, ‘OK, Doc, this
is really something we need to look at.’ ❞ -Dr. Edgar Hatrick
“I always said that if I could sponge off him and have his tutelage he would line me up to be a director somewhere. He was known all over the United States and was an icon here in Virginia.” Hampton, a supervisor for Lunsford,
just never knew his opportunity would come so soon. “He needed to retire and go out a cham-
pion. It was a shame he had to pass away.” Transportation departments all across
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Virginia sought out Lunsford’s expertise, and Hatrick often “loaned him out” to school districts to help with peer re- views or consultations. It was no secret that Lunsford was a big part of Loudoun County’s successes over the past decade, which have included becoming one of the highest-achieving districts in the state. In October of 2007, Washingtonian Magazine named Lunsford one of the “Hidden Powers” in the metro Capitol area. Te publication referred to him as one of the “people you may not know about who can change your life,” spe- cifically citing his ability to cancel school during inclement weather. “LCPS and the community have lost
a great leader and a great friend,” said Hatrick, adding that Lunsford positively affected the lives of “tens of thousands” of students over the years. “It was my privi- lege to work with Mike for his more than 40 years of service to the students of LCPS. Consummate gentleman, patience of a saint, loving father and husband — Mike was the model in all he did. Te gap he leaves cannot be filled, but our memories of his devoted service will inspire all of us to do our best. He demanded nothing less of himself and of all with whom he worked.” Hatrick rarely had to worry about trans-
portation, which accounts for about 7 percent of the district’s $710 million total
30 School Transportation News Magazine April 2011
budget, even amid funding dilemmas like the ones that have stripped $33 million in funding from LCPS since the 2009-2010 school year. And to this day transporta- tion remains a departmental halcyon. Hampton said he simply is continuing the work Lunsford began. “It’s very easy to manage after Mike
Lunsford set it all up for you,” he added. “You just put it on cruise control. Mike did a masterful job of setting this place up to run on cruise control.” Michael Ashby, president of the
Virginia Association for Pupil Trans- portation and the director at Hanover County Public Schools, said LCPS “lost a great leader” who “was always willing to try new things and ran a really tight ship.” Lunsford piloted the first CNG
school bus in the state. He also over- saw the implementation of school bus video cameras, which, today, are equipped in the entire fleet of 776 school buses. Hampton also said 85 to 95 percent of those are also equipped with GPS. But what really set the dis- trict apart was its seamless adoption of lap/shoulder seat belts. For years, like in many school districts
across the country, parents would ask of the transportation department, “Why doesn’t my child’s school bus have seat belts?” Tose questions reached the school board, which in 2008 voted to use the occupant restraint systems af- ter NHTSA ruled that lap/shoulder belts provided the most protection to student riders and that the latest technology adequately solved the capacity issue, re- gardless if it was high school or younger students sitting on the seat. “Transportation was right at the cen-
ter of helping the superintendent’s office and school board both decide if it was a
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