experience replacing older AngelTrax systems with new technology from the same provider. Christopher King, the district’s transportation director and an Arkansas Associ- ation of Pupil Transportation board member, listed driver needs as one of the multiple considerations that were deliberated upon and outlined as transportation priority before deciding on the upgrade. “We wanted video tied to GPS, and we wanted a system
that we could request and archive video without having to maintain server size storage. AngelTrax has provided us with those options,” said King. Student and staff safety, he continued, are aided through
products that “monitor and review our assets to ensure safe- ty and protection from internal and external concerns.” He also shared a newer camera system ultimately pro- tects the entire school district. “One of the great benefits is how a system with com-
prehensive coverage is vital to protecting our staff against threats and accusations as well as incidents that do not in- volve students but other drivers on the road,” he added. “We get accused of many violations, but the system has proven invaluable to protecting the interest of the district.” Alongside window-shopping and making a list of priori-
ties for the new purchases, he recommended meeting with other districts using systems that are being considered. “Using that information, narrow it down to two or three
companies, and bring them back to the table with your list of what you must have and what you might like to have,” said King. “Then see who comes out on top. This is a big investment and support is crucial.” Ron Deming, territory manager for REI’s school bus division, agreed. “All districts have their own distinctive
needs, but you get some good advice, a good refer- ence or at worst case a good template to start your own project,” he said. Sprout’s decision-making process for choosing a camera vendor for Franklin’s fleet of 70 buses, five minibuses, four activity buses and two vans consists of a methodical and mathematical system. “When it came time to upgrade our bus camera sys-
tem, we knew we needed a rigorous and transparent process,” he said. “One of our district’s guiding princi- ples is systemic continuous improvement, meaning we’re always looking for ways to make things better, from our curriculum to the security of our buses.” He noted a team consisting of office administration, the district’s IT department and transportation staff was built to utilize a method called AHP, or analytical hier- archy process. During this process, Sprout explained, the team lists the necessary components of a new camera system, such as the footage being available for anytime viewing, reducing physical handling of hard drives or digital video recorders, video quality, instal- lation and maintenance, and warranty. Each of these factors are then weighed against each other. “For example, we asked ourselves, ‘Is being able to
view the video 24/7 more important than the war- ranty?’ We used a scale to show how much more important one factor was than another,” he explained. AHP then uses math to outline percentages and
identify what features are ranked highest. In Franklin’s case, the percentages revealed that having the footage be viewable anytime was the more important feature. With this data in hand, Sprout said the district then moved to the Pugh Chart score card, to analyze different ideas and to determine the optimal choice. “We compared the different camera systems we were
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