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School Transportation News Magazine is published by STN Media Group
NOT IN ONE’S WILDEST NIGHTMARES
Just finished reading your article in the March edition of STN (“Te Mental Health of the Industry,” page 14). Very well written, and it got right to the heart of the matter. When one is driving a school bus, one would certainly never think that getting shot is something that needs to be in the back of your mind. You wrote that these incidents are becoming “common- place,” which sadly reflects in our society. Your articles are a good resource, and I have used them for discussion topics during driver’s meetings. Keep up the good work, and here’s to hop-
ing that we never have to read about such tragedies happening again. Chris B. Steiner, Nooksack Valley School District Everson, Wash.
STN
Publisher Tony Corpin
Editor Ryan Gray
Managing Editor Sylvia Arroyo
Creative Consultant Vincent Rios
Senior Designer Kimber Horne
School districts seem to be Via Linkedin: In response to
President Obama’s State of the Union address that called for every child in the U.S. to receive an early education. As the transportation man-
ager for a Head Start program for 21 years, how can we provide early education to the low-in- come families when some of us are having trouble fueling our vehicles just to get to work? Transportation in Head Start is a must. Yes, we have safety seats and monitors, but in Georgia we did a statewide bid and got the seats at low cost. Monitors are staff we use from the classrooms, and that is included in their job descriptions. So, really, Head Start transports children safer than most school systems. We are required a certain number of hours of training, are evaluat- ed monthly and keep up with paperwork on each child. Most children at an early age do not get the social skills as they do in Head Start as well as education learning from our well-quali- fied, degreed teaching staff. If children get the social skills, then the learning skills come easier. Tat is 99 percent of early education, the want to learn.
Marsha McAlister, CAFI Head Start Columbus, Ga.
always under the ax for budget cuts. (If) you add a whole new age group to be transported, they better put some provisions in to cover costs. Not only for new buses to handle more kids but also for training and getting more drivers on board.
Donna Mengel, School Bus Driver/Trainer FountainFort Carson School District 8 Colorado Springs, Colo.
I support the idea of early
education. I don't know enough about the bill to say if the feds would foot the bill for transporta- tion. Tat is an excellent question. With pre-school students they re- quire child safety seats, and most would only go to school half a day, so this is an additional route, and if there are any more than just a few students on the bus, the bus will require a monitor to help with getting them on and off, and properly into the child safety seat. I think if they could intertwine it into the current route times, it would minimally impact the transportation cost.
Jason Latham, Master ASE School Bus Technician Durham School Services Indianapolis
Graphic Design Maria Molina
Copy Editor Michelle Fisher
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Linda Bluth, Peggy Burns, Michelle Fisher, John Whelan, Dick Fischer, Denny Coughlin, Ned Einstein, Art Gissendaner, Julie Metea, Eric Woolson
Vice President Colette Paul
Ad Sales Tony Corpin
Circulation Andrea Hernandez
Marketing Coordinator Diane O'Meara
Marketing Assistant Stephanie Bours
Chairman of the Board Bill Paul, STN Media Group
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EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD:
Denny Coughlin, Consultant; Judith Dupille, Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles; Dick Fischer, Trans-Consult; Ron Love, Delaware DOE; Randy McLerran, National Bus Sales; Pete Meslin, Newport-Mesa Unified; Nancy Netherland, Migrant- Seasonal Head Start; Marshall Casey, Consultant; Alexandra Robinson, NAPT; Launi Schmutz, Washington County
Schools
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8 School Transportation News May 2013
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