INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS Retirement of Montana State


Director Leaves Void As is so often the case, retirement can be a bittersweet pill to


swallow, especially when one’s career has been spent in pupil transportation. Like the handful who went before her in 2010, Maxine Mou-


geot told School Transportation News in December that the industry remains near and dear to her heart even after re- tiring from the Montana Office of Public Instruction, where she worked for the past 25 years. “I love these guys, every single one of you and all of the state direc-


tors and all of the people I’ve met,” she said. “You hear it over and over when people leave, but it’s really an awesome place to be.” Mougeot stepped down as the state’s full time transpor-


tation director, a position she assumed in 2001 after Gordy Conn took an administrator position elsewhere at OPI. And like many in the industry, Mougeot wore multiple hats as a safety specialist and financial specialist. She actually started at OPI as a federal programs accountant and then, three years later, transitioned to special education data management. Her efforts paid off last year as the Montana Association for Pupil Transportation named Mougeot its “Transportation Person of the Year” for 2010. “She’s going to be greatly missed,” said Betty Kunkel, the execu-


Industry


LOADING/UNLOADING ZONE DEATHS DROP Tirteen students were killed during


the 2009-2010 school year in the loading and unloading zone, according to pre- liminary data released last month by the Kansas State Department of Education’s School Bus Safety Education Unit.


legally passed stopped school buses, a KSDE representative said shortly after the new year. Six students died after being struck by the front of their school bus, up two from the previous year. Five students were killed by illegal passers, a figure that matched the national average over the past five years. Te industry did realize an improvement


in rear-end fatalities as the survey found that two children were killed compared to seven during 2008-2009. Meanwhile, NHTSA published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in December that outlines the possibility of revising FMVSS 111 to improve mirror systems for small school buses and other passenger vehicles under 10,000-pounds GVWR with additional technology such as back-up cameras.


Te 13 fatalities dropped from the 18


reported by all 50 states for the 2008-2009 school year. Te majority of students were killed at the front position of the school bus or at the hands of other motorists who il-


December


THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS NASDPTS notified members in late that an article published on


MSNBC.com was “relatively accurate” re- 16 School Transportation News Magazine February 2011


garding seat belts on school buses because the author failed to differentiate between school buses and charter buses like the one involved in a March 2006 crash near Beau- mont, Texas, that killed two high school softball players and injured 21 others during a sports trip. Families of some of the victims appeared at the 2007 NASDPTS annual con- ference in Grand Rapids, Mich., to call for school bus seat belts. But the bus the team was riding in was


a commercial coach variety. NASDPTS said that MSNBC reporter Alex Johnson lumped that incident into the category of school bus route service. “Data provided the writer [sic] by NHTSA


adequately paints an accurate picture for the reader regarding the relative safety of school buses versus other modes of school transportation,” wrote NASDPTS Executive Director Bob Riley on Dec. 29. “Of minor concern is that NHTSA is still quoting the 2002 figures for annual student fatalities in


tive secretary at MAPT and the department head at Cascade County Su- perintendent of Schools. “I don’t know what I’ll do without her. I work with her a lot on transporta- tion. She has such a great understanding. I don’t know how [OPI] will train someone to do all that.” “All


ensuring school


that” included district


compliance with often- times complex state laws and regulations governing student


transportation services.


Mougeot also planned, coordinated and directed the state’s transportation aid funding program and collected and analyzed data used to determine the eligibility of more than 470 elemen- tary and high school districts statewide for some $24 million each year. Tis program includes bus inspections, routes and driver qualifications. She also reported fiscal and non-fiscal pro- gram information to the U.S. Department of Education and the Montana state legislature. “I hope I’m not done yet [with pupil transportation],” Mou-


geot added. “I want to stay involved. You’ll see me poking around somewhere. I’m going to stay attached to MAPT.” ■


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