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tion of registered sexual predators and drug houses. New zoning laws for subdivisions now also favor fewer sidewalks for community aesthet- ics, which has resulted in more drive-way service, as well as increased hazardous routes. “Parents call us for dangers in the community. Parents call us when
they’re not home to take care of their kids. We’ve become very person- alized,” said Japikse. But even as the added weight of “yellow and black taxis” bends the
backs of school districts to the breaking point, Japikse said an opportunity exists, a common theme made time and again this past week as several hundred NAPT members have joined state directors and representatives from manufacturing companies and vendors of product and services. While there are differing opinions on what transportation services
Following the death of 7-year-old Kadyn Halverson earlier this year, Kim Koenigs told NASDPTS atendees how she is using community activism to try and pass a law in Iowa to strengthened the penalties for motorists who illegally pass stopped school buses.
school districts can and should be providing, not to mention how, Japikse said the current economic landscape gives student transport- ers the opportunity to forge a greater rapport with Moms and Dads by smartly providing answers to common-day problems. A byproduct of this is a better understanding by parents of how transportation services work, how they are restricted by funding and resource constraints so as to set realistic expectations. Tis requires a new way of thinking, he added, which includes the
realization that traditional public school employees must realize that their true bosses are not the superintendents but the taxpaying par- ents. While safe transportation of students remains the trademark of the industry, he said transportation cannot simply be aligned with the school system. “Any business that maintains the status quo will go away,” Japikse added.
Tought Leaders, Case Studies Unite to Tell Story Innovation is another central theme to this year’s proceedings, which
Retired NBA player Mark Eaton of the Utah Jazz, all 7-feet, 4-inches of him, provided NASDPTS conferences atendees with the “Four Commitments of a Winning Team.”
began last Tursday with the NASDPTS board meeting, continued with 25 presentations to the state directors and gathered Suppliers Coun- cil members and segued into a dozen NAPT Professional Development Series courses and more than 30 regular conference workshops. Te NASDPTS meetings concluded yesterday, but more learning opportuni- ties await NAPT participants as well as the NAPT Trade Show for both groups, which starts today. NAPT members learned techniques to help them survive internal au-
dits and about the importance of deciphering and utilizing transporta- tion data to drive business intelligence and analytics. Attendees were also offered tips on how they can increase service with fewer budgetary dollars, all the while communicating those efficiencies clearly and con- cisely to school boards. Allies, such as principals and building admin- istrators also hold vital keys to a transportation department’s success, which reminded all of the importance of communication, as do peers in other districts. An NAPT town hall-styled session defined the concepts of region-
alization and consolidation of school districts to provide better, more efficient and more cost-effective services and discussed how they can be implemented. Sunday’s NAPT lineup began with an opening general session and
NAPT Summit atendees have had a host of opportunities at their disposal to gain new insights and added efficiencies for their home operations.
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keynote presentation by Mark Aesch, CEO of Rochester Genesee Re- gional Transit Authority. He provided an outline on how he was able to turn around a struggling transit authority into one that run surpluses for five consecutive years, cut fares for customers while growing its rid- ership and reduced its dependence on taxpayer dollars by 36 percent. Aesch explained how he implemented simple but important man-
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