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SUPERWOMAN One of Maryland’s superinten-
April 2010 Super
TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENTS CAN HOLD THE KEY TO THEIR OWN SUCCESS BY SHARING VITAL DATA WITH SCHOOL ADMINISTATORS
2010 SUPERINTENDENT OF THE YEAR Dr. Elizabeth Morgan of Washington County, Md.
cover.indd 1 3/17/10 9:55 AM
dents, Dr. Elizabeth Morgan of Washington County, was recently honored as national superinten- dent of the year. Tough I have only met her once, it is from the regular conversations I have with Washington County Director of Transportation Barbara
Scotto
that it is apparent that having a superintendent who has an ap- preciation and understanding of the complexity of our industry
and the role it plays in the daily safety and impact on instructional success is priceless. Dr. Morgan has supported creative use of op- erational funding without cutting services to students and their families. Having a superintendent with familiarity with school trans- portation is indispensable in these difficult financial times.
Leon Langley, Pupil Transportation Director Maryland State Department of Education
E-COMMUNICATION I read with interest your STN online article concerning proposed
legislation which would increase the use of “multi-function student activity buses” in our state [
www.stnonline.com/go/566, March 22, 2010]. It has always been my opinion that the use of these white “multi-function” vehicles is simply a way for schools to skirt the requirements that drivers who transport students must have a Commercial Drivers License (CDL), a School Bus Operator Permit, the required safety training, physical exam, drug and alcohol screen- ing, and driving record and criminal history background checks. Te transportation of our students by these untrained, untested, undoc- umented drivers is a safety risk. While I’m sure that the teachers, coaches, music directors, jani-
tors, and parents who volunteer to drive these vehicles are well meaning, caring, decent human beings, the fact remains that they are not school bus drivers, and therefore they lack the training, testing, and experience that has lead our nation’s school bus driv- ers to achieve the best passenger transportation safety record on this planet. I therefore believe that the proposed Senate Bill 2879 is bad legislation. Tanks for a timely, informative article, and for a fine publication
which supports the many dedicated school transportation profes- sionals throughout North America.
Norman Mars, Region Operations Manager First Student, Central Illinois
5334 Torrance Blvd., 3rd Floor, Torrance, CA 90503 Tel: 310/792-2226 Fax: 310-792-2231
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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
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10 School Transportation News Magazine May 2010
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