www.stnonline.com 39 “I called the parents to tell them, and they


were in shock, but it kept them from getting angry with us. It settled things down. Te chal- lenge would be greater if I didn’t know and [didn’t] catch it early. It’s a lot more difficult to put out fires once they start,” said Schmutz. “Te biggest challenge is when parents don’t let us know about a concern because then it festers throughout the neighborhood.” In a school district with more than 21,000 stu-


dents, she said complaints spread quickly on the rumor mill. While she does use social media to interact with her drivers and staff, Schmutz still prefers speaking with parents. “E-mails have changed transportation consider-


ably. When I get an e-mail from parents, I still call them back on the phone rather than e-mail back because I think it’s more personable,” Schmutz said. With more than 20 years in student transporta-


tion, Schmutz noted that, despite technological advances, the human touch is key to customer service. Particularly in these tough economic times, her drivers and staff always try to show empathy to parents. “We tell our staff to listen and don’t provide


feedback if someone’s mad — just let them vent. In the end, offer solutions and say you’ll work on it,” Schmutz continued. “It’s what we’re all about: community service. Tey’re taxpayers, and they’re our patrons. It’s a good thing that they call and let us know…it’s an opportunity.” Transportation Director Nicole Portee of Den-


ver Public Schools said her large district was divided into seven regions to address the needs


of 80,000 students at 166 schools. Portee and her staff often attend Community Engagement meetings to “join in the conversation” with dif- ferent communities. “It’s important to put a face to transportation


outside of the bus and our drivers and to be able to answer any questions. Transportation can be a factor in community’s perception of a school,” said Portee. To maintain open communication, she em-


phasized that transportation departments need to raise awareness about the nuts and bolts of transporting students. “You have to educate your community about


transportation and all that’s involved. We do our work behind the scenes. We’ve depended on the yellow buses to do our advertising, but, essentially, it’s getting out in the community and addressing the hard questions,” Portee said. “You need to listen to your community, because that’s the only way to get better.” As DPS prepares for the new school year, some


schools have invited transportation representa- tives to come in and provide safety information. “Face-to-face contact initially works, and then you


can intertwine social media. But if you rely on social media as a solution, it’s not as effective because peo- ple won’t understand the context of what they’re reading,” she continued. “We’ve tried to make our information reader-friendly by using terms that work not just in English but also in Spanish.” Although the website may be the fastest way to in-


form parents, Portee said that school bus drivers and the students themselves are also great messengers.


“What we’ve found is if we go to Back-to-


School-Night meetings and talk about safety, we educate the students and they will remind the parents. So that’s another avenue of communi- cation,” added Portee. Pinellas County Schools (Fla.) also keeps the


lines of communication open with everything from postcards to web posts, according to Trans- portation Director Rick McBride, who oversees the transport of about 32,000 students daily. Like Portee, McBride said his department often uses the “tried and true way” of having school bus drivers relay vital information to parents. “Troughout the school year, routes and times


do change, so even though the school notifies them, the driver also lets them know — ensuring that parents personally got the information. Some- times it’s a little bit more difficult to ensure this because the only feedback we get is when a parent calls wondering where the bus is,” said McBride. Because his department receives most feed-


back via telephone, McBride decided years ago to expand the transportation call center, which is manned by six staff members year-round, and additional help is available when school begins. He noted that specialized software tracks all of the issues parents bring to their attention. “We can go back six years ago to see if we


had similar issues or concerns,” McBride said. “We try to keep customer service as number one, and the call center has really elevated our transportation department. It has let us be more efficient and economize things, especially when we’re cutting budgets.” ■


Hearty congratulations to Bill and Colette, and the


talented staff of School Transportation News. — Roseann Schwaderer, President, Edupro Group


Remembering 1991 • Dead Sea Scrolls are made public at a library in California • Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 3,000 for first time, at 3,004.46 (April 17) • School Transportation News print magazine launches with September issue • 1st National Conference on Transporting Students with Disabilities convenes in March in Dallas TX Los Angeles King Wayne Gretzky scores his 700th goal against New York Islanders • The Silence of the Lambs, Beauty and the Beast, JFK, Thelma & Louise show in movie theaters • Bill Clinton announces his run for President of the U.S.


Celebrating 20 years serving pupil


transportation It’s 1991 and creative, entrepreneurial juices are flowing. Te pupil transportation community hungers for information. Stepping up, Bill and Colette Paul venture their magazine, School Transportation News. And Roseann Schwaderer, then Editor of Transporting Students with Disabilities Newsletter, initiates the 1st National Conference on Transporting Students with Disabilities. Twenty successful years later, their professional respect for each other’s place in service to the pupil transportation community is well earned. STN has successfully diversified, offering an unparalleled range of information services. Edupro Group’s conference is nationally recognized as the go-to meeting for best practices on transporting students with special needs, from preschool to transition services.


Carry on! www.eduprogroup.com 21st


National Conference on Transporting Students with Disabilities & Preschoolers March 9-14, 2012 • Orlando, Florida


399-Edupro-STNad.indd 1 8/12/11 10:37:12 AM


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