SPECIAL REPORT
Wendy Moore, the superintendent and elementary principal at Genesee Joint School District No. 282 in Idaho, also serves as a substitute school bus driver for the district. Moore said obtaining her CDL is helping the district recruit more potential applicants. Read Moore’s story at
stnonline.com/go/bc.
educational needs, whether you’re a transportation director or assistant superintendent,” said Portee, who was appointed to the latter role overseeing operations in Charlotte this winter. “The focus is always about meeting the ed- ucational needs of our students. I think the commitment actually sets the tone for the teamwork that has to happen in the role as a transportation director, and the work that you do there because you have to work with schools. You have to work with families. You have to work with students. The objective is always about providing great service. “And I think as a superintendent, it is
also about teamwork and making sure that you’re pulling all your teams across the operations department together in the spirit of students,” continued Portee, who was named this magazine’s 2018 Transportation Director of the Year. “I always like to say that things kind of work together for the good of the stu- dents. Without transportation, students don’t have access to education, or their education is impacted as a result of no transportation.” She added that in her current role as assistant superintendent, her job is to make sure every operational depart- ment is where it needs to be, so that all students can have the best educa- tional day. “There’s a lot of moving parts outside of the actual educational component to ensure that students have everything they need to learn,” she added, noting that transportation and administration departments need to have open lines of communication
28 School Transportation News • APRIL 2022
to further ensure the overall edu- cational day is prosperous. “I would also encourage [transportation] to have a seat at the table,” Portee said. “I think every district has strategic goals that they work from, and I think it’s important that transportation admin- istration is always keeping that at the core of the work that is being done and how they feed into it.” She said it’s not only important for
directors to know the goals, but also the entire transportation team. “A lot of school districts have a theory of action that really talks to their core beliefs and their commitment to achieve the vision and mission,” she added. “So, it’s always important for transportation to know what that is and how they tie into that.” Portee concluded that working in ed-
ucation is not only about the work being done on a day-to-day basis. “I think it is about making sure that when you approach your work that you’re thinking about how your work impacts not only the students but the community, fam- ilies, schools, and administration,” she explained. “I encourage people to learn more than just what they focus on, like if your job is transportation really seek out to understand how the work impacts the greater good of the student.” ●
82% of transportation directors/supervisors say they feel their superintendent values transportation operations’ daily functions. (Out of 187 responses.)
67% say that transportation is included in the overall district’s decision- making process. (Out of 186 responses.)
73%say the district administration supports the transportation department. (Out of 185 responses.)
70% say their superintendent is aware of the challenges transportation faces. (Out of 197 responses.)
71% stated that their superintendents help come up with potential solutions to these challenges. (Out of 129 responses.)
Listen to more words of wisdom from superintendents on the School Transportation Nation
Podcast. Visit
stnpodcast.com for more information.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
