“I like the time to really go through the fleet with a fine tooth comb for maintenance, safety and cleanliness issues,” said
Marchetti. “Te downside to this is it gets real crazy from now through the first of September getting the buses ready for state inspections, training materials and classes gathered, and other tasks the organization requires of me.” Elsewhere in Northern California, the Columbia Elementary School District decided to test the waters of a year-round
schedule. But according to Transportation Director Pam Carney, it was not very successful. With average summer tempera- tures near the 100-degree mark, summers are just too hot and paying utilities and staffing costs proved to be exorbitant. With no air conditioning in their buses, the student got too hot riding in them. Yet there is a silver lining for the drivers, who bit from a year-round paycheck.
Summers Off Not for Everyone Aside from the normal upkeep that many transportation departments perform over the summer, many districts also
have to contend with summer school. In Florida, where the summers consist of sweltering heat and humidity, Jerry Klein, administrative director for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, continues to operate approximately 350 of his 1,280 regu- lar routes during the summer session. Add to that some fiscally-necessary re-routing for the 2010-2011 school year, and his cup is once again filled to the brim. “For the 2010-2011 school year, we were able to modify the standard school opening/closing hours,” explained Klein.
“Tis provides more time between high school/elementary/middle school tiers, which allows us to build longer runs with fewer buses. We expect to remove 75 to 100 buses from the road this year as a result, saving $3 million to $4 million. Tis requires a complete reroute this summer preparing for the fall opening, and that has proven to be a significant challenge.” But the time off from students and running bus routes can also allow the opportunity tor catch up on administrative
duties, and it allows the drivers the down time they need to recoup for the coming school year. “It gives my staff a time to take a break and [to] go spend time with their families,” said Francis Bagarella, transportation
director for Oak Harbor (Wash.) School District. “It’s a very intense operation throughout the school year. We are also on the go from 4 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday to ensure our students’ safety, ensure our buses are ready and to keep our drivers focused.” ■
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42 School Transportation News Magazine September 2010
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