CONFERENCE RECAP
created, using volunteers to evaluate the terms and methodology, with more progress to be made. Te group’s future vision
is educating the industry, implementing data-driven decision making, measuring policy impacts and instill- ing a value of self measure- ment. It also called upon new additional volunteers to help set the standards as well as promote this effort to other student transport- ers to stir support. KPI Project Team member Peter Lawrence, director of transportation for Fairport (N.Y.) Central School District, and part of the KPI project task group, echoed Eugene’s message about how public schools should not rest on their laurels and conduct business as usual, particularly if they face transportation issues evident to parents and the public. Public schools today face competition by charter schools, alternative schools and even online
“We have to share our
worth and prove our worth,” said Lawrence. “We need to be seen as part of the edu- cational process, and KPIs is one tool to say, ‘We can do this, but here is the data and how much it will cost us.’” Sticking to the theme of
KPIs, the Summit offered the breakout workshop “KPIs for the Small School District” in the early after- noon. Members from the KPI Project Team offered practical suggestions on integrating KPIs into a district with a small trans- portation staff. About 87 percent of school districts have 5,000 or less student enrollment. Attendees also checked out a kickoff meeting by a newly formed ad hoc advi- sory panel on fleet service issues. Te panel’s mission is to assess and analyze issues, predict trends and make recommendations for education, training and related products for student transporters on such topics
The Texas School Bus Safety Poster Contest Winner, Aubrey Lawrence, is congratulated by NAPT Executive Director Mike Martin.
schooling. Tough some charter schools may not be the best, some parents are placing their children in these schools because of their dissatisfaction with the operations of their public school. And a parent’s excuse for this can be as simple as their child’s school bus being repeatedly late to pick them up for school.
as vehicle inspections, parts specifications, related equipment maintenance, shop audits, benchmarking, and much more. Te Summit ended
Sunday with a fun, interest- ing workshop titled, “What Have We Learned in the Last 50 Years About Train- ing School Bus Drivers?” Presented by Lawrence and
6 The Show RepoRTeR • OCT 20 –25, 2012
Dick Fischer, an industry consultant and retired district director of transportation, at- tendees were taken on a jour- ney back in time to explore the roots of basic training. A newly discovered 1950s school bus safety training film was also presented during the workshop. KPIs aside, another example of how districts can drive down costs is by eliminating curbside service whenever possible. Earlier on Sunday, Pete Meslin, director of transportation for Newport-Mesa Unified School District in Southern California, told NASDPTS state directors and Suppli- er Council members that reducing curbside pick- ups for special education students can save 15 to 20 percent in operational costs by cutting the time it takes to load these students, while also promoting indepen- dence for this student population. “We as an industry have
a defeatist attitude,” he said. “We think of ourselves not as the tail of the dog but as the flea of the dog. We take it, that’s the hand we’ve been dealt. We’re not think- ing of ways we can change business.” Instead, Meslin said
transporters must increas- ingly think of themselves as
educators, a similar theme to what Eugene later spoke about, and as such should turn a specific student’s “problem behaviors” into teaching opportunities using positive behavior support methods. Meslin’s presentation
piggybacked on updates from Judy Shanley, director of student engagement and mobility with Easter Seals Project Action, and Greg Aikin, president of the Florida Association for Pupil Transportation and director transportation at Volusia County Schools. Tey discussed what districts should be doing to utilize the school bus as a tool for transitioning special education students to adult- hood — and independence
Cathy Snow, a school bus driver for Elk Grove Unified School District in Sacramento, Calif., won the Blue Bird Heroism Award for her efforts in trying to save the life of a six-month-old baby who was shot in the head. Read a related story on page 8.
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