PRESIDENTIAL COVER MODEL
in New Jersey,” Capasso said. “We transport more than 11,360 students. We can’t handle it all with just our fleet.”
Capasso said she has been in the district 23 years and has used contractors to complement the district’s fleet for as long as she can remember. “Tere is a belief that having both services is beneficial to the district,” she said. “It’s the best of both worlds. We can expand our fleet as the district’s needs grow.” Capasso said she also plans the bus routes, not just
because she can monitor the contractors, but also because she grew up in the community and literally knows it like the back of her hand. “No one knows this town better than I do,” she
said. “I know of roads that no one else knows of, and that knowledge is very beneficial when routing.” Sue Jackson, transportation director in the Troy
Area School District in rural north-central Penn- sylvania, said her district has used up to 14 different contractors during the 12 years she’s been with the district. She currently uses seven nearby contractors. “Some of them have only one or two buses,” she
said. “It’s a way of supporting the local economy.” Jackson said the contractors hire the drivers who
Dennis Maple brings new blood to First Student as company president. Previously, he served in the same position at Aramark Education.
I
n January, Dennis Maple was named president of First Student after previously serving as president of Aramark Education, where he over- saw operations providing K-12 school districts with nutritious food, efficient facilities and other major support services in more than 500 school districts. As president of First Student, Maple is expanding upon his record of accomplishments and influence while working to improve school district communities and inspire others to do the same, the com- pany said.
Maple is widely recognized for his dynamic contributions that expand
across corporate America, school districts and communities. As such, Maple said he hopes to mesh a sincere appreciation for the complex fis- cal and economic challenges facing school districts today with his deep understanding of student safety issues. He also told STN that he consid- ers it his privilege to provide safe and reliable student transportation for each of the six million students who ride First Student school buses each day. He attributes the company’s No. 1 ranking to more than size alone — its success is driven by the remarkable people whose commitment, expertise and talents allow First Student to deliver what matters most for its district partners. He added that he is eager to strengthen partner relationships and maximize First Student’s benefit to its school district customers by lever- aging the company’s unrivaled scale, capacity and diverse experience to deliver superior student transportation.
then must be approved by the school board. She said because the drivers are local, they are invested in the community. “Tey know the children and they know the
parents. Tey can spot when something is not right. I cannot speak highly enough about our contractors and drivers,” she continued. Student Transportation of American is the con-
tractor of choice in the Palmdale School District in in the high desert north of Los Angeles since 2003, when it won the contract over a competitor. Palmdale Transportation Director Christina Celeste said STA maintains the district’s aging fleet of 80 buses and transports its special education students. Te district transports the regular education students. STA em- ploys the drivers. Te contractor currently does routing for special
education students, but Celeste said she hopes to change that when a planned technology upgrade for transportation is put in place, which is why she was hired. “Right now everything is done with pencil and pa-
per,” she said. “But we’re getting transportation soft- ware that will make it possible to do our routing and track the buses. It is already approved by the board and we should have that software up and running by the start of the new school year.” Old Bridge’s Capasso offered this piece of advice
for any transportation director thinking about hiring a single contractor. “Don’t do it. It is not good to have all of your eggs
in one basket. Tere was a district out here that closed for three days until they could cover for a contractor that closed on a Friday and never reopened. I would recommend a combination of an in-house fleet and contractors.”
46 School Transportation News April 2014
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