INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS: BRIEFS
FEDS SHUT DOWN 50-PLUS BUS COMPANIES IN CRACKDOWN ON UNSAFE CARRIERS
T
he Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) an- nounced that 52 bus companies and 340 vehicles were put out of busi- ness and removed from the road in mid-December as a result of an in-depth, months-long investigation called Operation Quick Strike. “Bus travel is increasingly popular because it is a convenient, inexpen-
sive option for students, groups and families,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “But it must also be safe. Trough Operation Quick Strike and our regular enforcement efforts, we’re shutting down companies that put passengers at risk and educating the public on safe motorcoach travel.” FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro said these companies are not
low-cost, fly-by-night carriers — some are charged with transporting school bands and Boy Scouts. Te eight-month effort was part of FMCSA’s three-phase Mo-
torcoach Safety Initiative to raise the bar for safety in the industry and to strengthen the agency’s oversight. Reasons for company shutdowns include the failure to adequately maintain their buses, widespread hours-of-service violations and inadequate drug and alcohol driver-test- ing programs.
National Associations Call on Congress to Restock Head Start, Title I & IDEA Coffers
W
hile the American Association of Administrators and National Head Start Association applauded the passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act (BBA) of 2013, both groups urged Congress to con- tinue investing in K-12 education, and particularly those programs
designed to serve the nation’s disadvantaged children. “Te entire Head Start community is grateful for the passage of Te
Bipartisan Budget Act,” the NHSA stated. “While it does not fully re- store funding lost to sequestration’s indiscriminate and considerable cuts, it puts us solidly on a path forward to repair the damage these cuts have had on at-risk children and families.” Since sequestration took effect last spring, Head Start agencies nation-
wide were forced to eliminate spots for thousands of preschool students because of the automatic 5-percent budget cut to federally funded pro- grams. Te Administration for Children and Families released estimates for FY2014 on how the sequester would result in reduced services, such as transportation, for preschool children from low-income families and esti- mated that 57,265 students had already been cut from Head Start rosters. AASA noted that Congress acted to provide funding levels that will
restore a large share of the sequester cuts for FY2014, but emphasized that Congress’ work is not over. Te school superintendents association pressed lawmakers to advance education bills that prioritize investment in the cornerstone of federal K-12 education policy, Title I LEA grants and IDEA Part B grants. “It is imperative that these critical formula programs be funded at levels not less than the pre-sequestration levels of 2013,” the association stated.
26 School Transportation News February 2014 A Change of Guard in
West Virginia Ben Shew thought he would leave his position as state
director for West Virginia like the cowboys in the old western movies — calmly riding off into the sunset. Tat wasn’t the case, as he was busy during his final months dealing with major issues, such as finalizing state bids, dealing with certifi- cation issues and inspection program details, and mentoring his successor, Mike Pickens, who officially replaced him Nov. 1. While Pickens takes over for
SHEW
Shew, he continues to be executive director of the DOE’s Office of School Facilities department. “Now he has two jobs. He’s really going to be busy,” said Shew, who is enjoying retirement, spending time with his family, and offers consulting services. Last July, Shew announced his
PICKENS
retirement as executive director of the Office of Transportation for the West Virginia Department of Education at the end of October, which also coincided with the end of his term on the NASDPTS Executive Board as regional director South. He became state director in September 2004, but had been doing the job nine
months prior when the previous state director was out ill and he stepped in to help bridge the gap in services. While substituting for the previous state director, he was a coordi- nator in the DOE’s Office of School Facilities department, providing technical assistance to counties on maintenance, construction and other issues, including complaints within the school environment. As state director, Shew initially was involved in improving
training for all drivers by regionalizing the training at eight regional educational services agencies. He also improved the school bus inspection program by moving away from a paper-based system, and changed the bus driver inspection to a certification program that went online. He still faced a learning curve, but what helped him more
than anything were the relationships he built with his neigh- boring state directors and NASDPTS, the national associa- tion representing all state directors of student transportation. “Tat in itself was a big help to me in getting up to
speed,” he added. In the past few years, Shew worked on training for all
new drivers in the state, implementing the training and attaining certified trainers and examiners for the regional educational services agencies. He wishes the best for Pickens in his new, additional role. “Te states that we deal with a lot in the southeast,
they’ve gone through significant reductions, and I think [West Virginia] is a little behind where those folks in Ala- bama or North Carolina have already been,” he noted. “It’s very indicative of what’s going on throughout the country.”
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