as a successful middle school and high school principal, his assistant superintendent and supervisor retired and encouraged him to apply for her position. “The theme of my community never turning their
back on me has stuck with me,” Gothard said. “It brings me great joy to spend time supporting others, sponsor- ing their growth and helping them dream about their futures in ways they never thought possible. Collectively, these experiences helped me learn and grow, preparing me to one day become a superintendent of schools.” He served as the superintendent of Saint Paul for the past seven years. Even from a young age, he wanted to be involved in
education. Gothard said his middle school teacher, Mrs. Bell, played a pivotal role in his life. He attributed his pursuit of education to her. “She never gave up on me as her middle school student,” he said. “She held high expectations and did her very best to ensure I reached them. She helped me build a blueprint for relationships with students that I still use today.” The Superintendent of the Year Award is sponsored by
AASA: The School Superintendents Association, which produces the National Conference on Education, along- side school bus contractor First Student and Corebridge Financial. Claire Miller, the chief commercial officer for First
Student, said one of the most important ways a super- intendent can enable every child to reach their potential is by providing a safe and secure environment. “This environment includes the school bus,” she said. “That’s important because the child is on the bus for a good amount of time before the school day begins and when the day ends. The way a child gets to school also makes a difference in their readiness to learn. If the ride is calm, quiet and without distraction, the student will arrive feeling confident, safe and ready to learn. The school bus ride plays a large role in the wellness and readiness for children to reach their full potential.” She said she’s had in-depth conversations with Go-
thard since he was named Minnesota Superintendent of the Year in October. “He has a deep passion for student wellness and ensuring that every child is included, es- pecially those with special needs,” Miller continued. “He works tirelessly to ensure his entire student population has the opportunity to get the best education possible.” She added that Gothard understands the strong
communication and relationship-building skills that are needed to be successful. “He is a visionary thinker and a problem solver who displays emotional intelligence and empathy to his staff, students, parents and community,” Miller said. “He stands out as a leader who makes tough decisions with limited resources to work efficiently for
the success and best outcomes for his students. His skills and abilities put him right up there with the CEOs of today’s most successful companies.”
A Look Into Saint Paul
Public Schools Saint Paul Public Schools contracts out most of its transportation to First Student. The school district also employs 35 drivers in-house that primarily handle the district’s transportation of students with Individualized Education Programs. However, contractors also serve some additional special education routes. With 245 contracted bus drivers and another 120 contracted van drivers, the district has a total of 730 morning and afternoon routes, transporting more than 23,400 stu- dents daily. Transportation Director Ben Harri explained that while the district contracts with seven companies, First Student is responsible for a little less than half of all routes. The other six companies are local vendors. Harri added that Saint Paul chose to contract out aspects of transportation because it lacks the ability to train and test drivers. This makes communicating with contractors vital. He said the district holds monthly safety meetings with the contractor safety teams. If and when issues come up, they are communicated immediately, and the district expects prompt responses from its vendors. “The safety team and route coordinators are great
Dr. Joe Gothard (left) greets students on the first day of school in September alongside Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter. Read more about Gothard at stnonline. com/go/iq.
with communication and follow-up,” Harri said. “I keep my eyes on things and expect issues to get fixed when they arise.” Miller said First Student and the district are true partners in delivering safe student transportation. “We provide the FirstView District app and will move forward with the parent app in the coming year,” she shared. Additionally, First Student installed stop-arm cameras
on more than 80 buses last summer. On behalf of the district, First Student also applied for and was awarded
Listen to all the finalists and winner Dr. Joe Gothard on the School Transportation Nation podcast. Visit
stnpodcast.com and search for episodes 201 through 204.
Continued on pg. 32 ➥
www.stnonline.com 29
PHOTO COURTESY OF SAINT PAUL PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
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