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Using Software to Keep Field Trips in Line with the Budget
Years ago, field trips were part of every
child’s school year, whether it be a day at the museum or an end-of-the-year trip to the local amusement park. As time has progressed, field trips have evolved from something that was taken for granted into something that is rarely granted space in a district’s annual budget. Te costs are usually footed by paren-
tal donations, and sometimes the field trips are in walking distance of school to remove the price of transportation. For some, a touch of technology has helped keep field trips in the budget and part of the curriculum. “We love our field trip software,” said
Louk Markham, transportation manager for Portage Public Schools in south Michi- gan. “Portage Public Schools has used field trip software for almost a decade to speed up processing and to reduce the amount of paper required for each trip.” For the developers of these types of soft-
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ware, the ability to provide important details for each trip furthers its benefits, especially when working with school administrators, who rarely see the “behind the scenes” ac- tivities of the transportation department. Te same goes for transportation directors, who only see that a bus is needed and the date they need to provide it. “Traditionally, transportation depart-
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ments are oblivious to this piece of the puzzle as they only concern themselves with ‘what the cat drags in,’ and they leave the rest to the principals and teachers to ferret out on their own,” said Michael Hinckley, president of EasyBus, Inc. “A robust field trip online product can offer the ability to customize the request page so that detailed curricu- lum requirements can be included as part of the process.” Te software companies also under-
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stand the importance of keeping field trips in the budget, especially when districts are being forced to make cuts that need to have very little impact on the classroom.
24 School Transportation News Magazine July 2010 “Educational or enrichment field trips
are very important to a student’s scho- lastic success, and cutting them has a direct impact on the student’s learning experience,” said Melissa Belec, marketing manager for Versatrans. “Field trip sched- uling and management software can ease the administrative burden of fields trips, definitely make the process more efficient and possibly the trip itself.” By tying the software into the district’s
financial software, you can add greater ac- countability and management of funds, according to Belec, who added that the inclusion of an invoicing function can also help districts turn charters into a source of revenue.
❝ Traditionally, transportation
departments are oblivious to this piece of the puzzle as they only concern themselves with, ‘What the cat drags in,’ and they leave the rest to the principals and teachers to ferret out on their own.❞
Field trip management
— Michael Hinckley, EasyBus software can
also ensure that the budget is used prop- erly and is designated for the appropriate budget lines. Barbara Pilliod, Transfinder’s vice president of marketing and commu- nications, also suggested cutting costs by combining grades for high profile trips that contribute to academics. “Tey can ensure that buses used for field
trips are full to capacity to control or reduce costs and save field trips,” said Pilliod. “Or they might consolidate field trips among neighboring schools, which field trip soft- ware in one district could manage.” n
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