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Elsewhere, Cook-Illinois Corp. is part of a blended operation


Collaborating for Safety


The relationship between West Ada School District and Cascade Student Transportation in Idaho has resulted in a renewed safety focus for student riders, especially at their bus stops. The organizations joined in on a statewide effort to change the law for motorists who illegally pass school buses. The Idaho Legislature passed Sen-


ate Bill 1131 to increase the fine for first offenses to $500, with a second offense within five years of a first levying a $750 ticket. A third violation within the same time period would trigger a $1,000 fine. The previous penalty was $150 per violation. Paul Arnett, the operations man-


ager for the Student Transportation of America subsidiary, delivered a letter to the school board for signa- ture that urged legislators to take up the cause. It was all made possible, he added, with the support of Superin- tendent Mary Ann Ranells, who was one of four finalists for the 2019 AASA National Superintendent of the Year Award sponsored by First Student and VALIC and presented at the National Conference on Education in February. “Any of the measures we’ve brought to her that have relationship to the safety of the students is paramount in her mind,” he said, adding that she is also a proponent of any training for school bus drivers that help them with their student management skills. “I can’t say enough good about her. She’s just amazing. She cares about every single child that rides a school bus in this district.” Arnett said Ranells helped make Cascade training given twice a year in all grade-level homerooms on proper school bus riding conduct part of the district educational curriculum.


with contractor First Student in one of the largest school districts in Illinois. The arrangement is not unusual. “I have many school districts where I share the transportation services with other con- tractors,” said Dave Armbrecht, regional director for Cook-Illinois. He noted that the district allowed Cook-Illinois to bid on a sec-


tion. “It would have been difficult (otherwise) to take on the entire contract,” he added. Cook-Illinois covers the northern portion of the school district,


and First Student covers the southern part. “The pros are that you have two different providers, so you can


tap into two resources,” Armbrecht said. “The cons are that you now have to communicate with two different vendors.”


Contractor Oversight Industry experts advise school districts to choose a contractor


carefully. Districts should make sure they reflect their own core values in hiring, training and disciplining students. Contractor oversight is a key issue in outsourcing student transportation. Similarly, school districts are advised not to re- linquish total control of their operations. Districts are advised to seek a blending of shared responsibilities that allows the school district to retain control of key areas like routing, and student and bus driver discipline. “(School districts) should do their own routing and assignment of


routes,” advised Derrick Agate, president of the Minnesota Associ- ation for Pupil Transportation, and supervisor of transportation for Hopkins Public Schools. “They should maintain the discipline of their students and even provide training for the contractor’s staff.” Hopkins outsources to Mainline Transportation, Inc., a local


contractor that serves the Twin Cities area—but the lines of responsibilities are clearly drawn. He suggested that districts that are contemplating outsourcing do the same. “Make sure their hir- ing practices are in line with your district,” said Agate, who also provides school districts with training on best practices. “We pro- vide training for our contractors, to make sure they adhere to our policies and procedures, especially with special needs students.” Training in the transporting of special needs students is a big plus with Julie Jilek, assistant superintendent and chief business officer for the Northwest Suburban Special Education Organiza- tion. That group is a cooperative in Mt. Prospect, Illinois, which offers programs for special needs students. The organization has a long-standing contract with Cook-Illinois. “We’re extremely pleased with them. They have a strong focus


on transporting students with disabilities,” Jilek said, adding that Cook-Illinois hires the drivers and some attendants. “We do a lot of training together where they learn all about students with disabilities. We also meet quarterly throughout the school year to talk about what is going well and what could be improved. We have some very challenging students.” In its contract with First Student, Brady said Portland Public Schools handles all of the routing, and maintains control of the


28 School Transportation News • APRIL 2019


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