EDITORIAL DESK A back-up plan. A fail safe. A support system. No matter what you call it, when an emer-
gency happens, it helps to have one in place. Recently, while I was sitting at work sipping my second cup of coffee, my cell phone rang,
and with the help of caller ID I instantly knew it was my wife. As soon as I answered, I also knew something was wrong. She had fallen down the front porch steps and had broken her ankle. I soon found myself stuck in Southern California traffic while desperately trying to get home as quickly as possible. Hours later, as I was bringing my wife back home after a visit to her doctor, I thought
By Stephane Babcock Where’s Your
Support?
about what was missing from this scenario — a support system. With my wife’s mother tragically passing away almost four years ago and my parents living on the East Coast, we have little help in times of emergency. My wife and I and our four children are an amazing team, but there are times when we miss having someone there to help us, whether with emergencies or just a comforting one-on-one talk. After re-reading through some of this month’s articles, specifically the cover story, I start-
ed to think about how these systems are necessary at every level. When Loudoun County Public Schools’ transportation director died last year, the loss was felt by everyone. In many districts, administrators do not have the same relationship that Superintendent Edgar Hat- rick shared with Michael Lunsford. In the months following his death, the system he had worked so hard to put into place helped keep the district running at top speed, even in the tough economic landscape most states and school districts continue to face. With more than 40 years of service with Loudoun County, Lunsford had worked hard to make sure a strong and reliable system was in place in case any type of emergency might arise. But beyond the structure, the procedures and the processes must lie something else
for a transportation department and, subsequently, a district to keep running smoothly — a family. Te bonds that are created in these departments run very deep in metro- politan cites and rural towns alike. Tey go beyond the eight-hour day and can be felt by everyone from bus drivers to those who lead them. In this month’s Industry Connec- tions, Fairport (N.Y.) CSD Transportation Director Peter Lawrence talked about his work “family,” an ideal that “permeates throughout the school district and that touches all employees in one way or another.“ If ever there was an industry that had a “family feel” to it, this is it. I feel it every time I
pick up a phone and reach out to one of my regular contacts, or even someone I’ve never spoken to. It’s like talking to an old friend. It is a support system that continues to grow and evolve. Seemingly whenever I need assistance, people help in any and every way they can. I remember a few years ago when we decided to put together a handful of transporta-
tion-related workshops for the annual National Head Start Association (NHSA) conference. I only had a couple of weeks to put the classes together and, within a day or so, we had four or five workshops ready to go. I could not have done this without the help of that system. Denny Coughlin, at the time the fleet manager at Minneapolis Public Schools, was ready to jump on a plane and “set up shop” as soon as I asked for his help. Nancy Netherland from the Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Technical Assistance Center had everything ready for the workshop with the snap of her fingers. And after stumbling through finding a capable lead for the child passenger restraint class, a Florida native came to my rescue with the expertise and the knowledge to lead the class — Vicky Creech from Orange County Public Schools. It was an accomplishment that I would not have been able to realize without everyone’s efforts, including Peggy Burns, who was already slated to appear at the NHSA conference and who has since helped me any number of times, including consultation on my son’s Individualized Education Program. Burns’ knowledge and expertise not only helped me better understand the process, it pushed the school district to provide my son with the education he needs and deserves. Tese are just a few of the many friends I have made who have helped shape my time in
the school bus industry so far. I look forward to meeting more new faces and adding to an already strong support system. ■
54 School Transportation News Magazine April 2011
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