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PAVING THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY While your opening edi-
torial in the March issue (“Te Slow Online Revolution,” page 12) reflected some accuracy, in my experience shops are slow to get on board the desk top and more so the laptop computer because the school district administration does not realize what is involved with main- taining today’s school buses. Tey look at the transportation department as a necessary evil of the education process. If you do a nationwide search of school district Web sites across the
nation, I would guess that 50 percent do not even list the transportation department, and many do not list any contact information for transporta- tion departments. Administrators neither trust shop personnel to use the computer for diagnostic purposes nor do they feel mechanics are capable of using the tool in an educated manner. Almost every school district which lists the transportation department
on their Web site makes it difficult to locate us on their site. Some are to the contrary and include the department as an integral part of their opera- tions, but most do not. We had to request a “diagnostic tool” on our request form to obtain the
laptop in the first place. We are one of the fortunate ones. Building trust with administration is important. Helping them understand the difficult and important role we play in the education system is important as well. Convincing them we are an extension of the education system helps but is difficult to accomplish. Te online service and parts benefits available on a computer is a necessary part of our operation and literally saves hundreds of dollars, protects fleets by increasing safety and reliability in the work at hand and decreases down time of disabled buses.
Brad A. Barker, Fleet Operations Manager Park City (Utah) School District
CROSSING FATALITIES Since crossing safety is effectively the justification for our existence, I’m
always pleased to find articles like “Going Beyond FMVSS 111” in STN (Feb- ruary 2010, page 48). Yet as much as I like and respect John Green, he’s wrong that the State of California has never experienced a crossing fatality: I myself have served as an expert witness on four of them. And despite its crossing monitors, it is also not true that Rhode Island has experienced none since 1986. Tey just had their first a few years ago. While I know that our community cares deeply about this issue, our
continued underestimation of the depth of the problem undermines the urgency of our addressing it.
Ned Einstein, Transportation Alternatives New York City
10 School Transportation News Magazine June 2010
The views and opinions in SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION NEWS are those of the editorial staff. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the members of the Editorial Advisory Board or their organizations. Individuals serving on the board are advisors only and are not responsible for the editorial content.
For permission to reuse materials in this publication contact STN editor Ryan Gray, at
ryan@stnonline.com, or by phone at 310/792-2226 or by fax at 310- 792-2231. Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without written permission.
Publisher: Tony Corpin Editor: Ryan Gray Creative Director: Vince Rios
Senior Editor: Stephane Babcock Editorial Assistant: Janna Morrison Senior Designer: Kim Freiburger Graphic Design: Mariann Yattaw
Contributing Editors:
Linda Bluth, Peggy Burns, Michelle Fisher, Cal LeMon, Dick Fischer, Robin Leeds, Denny Coughlin, Julie Metea, Ned Einstein, Glen Moyer, Laura Blodgett, Bill Siuru
Vice President: Colette Paul General Manager: Branden Smeltzer Ad Sales: Tony Corpin Circulation: Andrea Hernandez
Chairman of the Board: Bill Paul, STN Media Group
Editorial Advisory Board: Denny Coughlin; Judith Dupille, Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles; Dick Fischer, Trans-Consult; Robin Leeds; Ron Love, Delaware DOE; Randy McLerran, Oklahoma DOE; Pete Meslin, Newport-Mesa Unified; Nancy Netherland, Migrant- Seasonal Head Start; Robert Pudlewski; Alexandra Robinson; Launi Schmutz, Washington County Schools; Pauline Gervais, Denver Public Schools
How to Write or E-mail STN
School Transportation News welcomes expressions of all views. Letters should be brief and are subject to editing for grammar, style and space. Submissions must be legible, include a signature, job title/employer name, valid mailing and/or e-mail address, and telephone number. Unsigned letters or letters signed only with a pseudonym or initials will not be used. Email letters to:
stephane@stnonline.com or
ryan@stnonline.com or send via U.S. Post to: School Transportation News P.O. Box 789, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
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