Scottie McKinzie – Shop Foreman Fulton County Schools, Georgia
Scottie McKinzie is celebrating nearly 20 years of service at Fulton County Schools in Atlanta. From a young age, he said he has been fascinated by anything with an engine and always wanted to understand what made things “tick.” He was working at an automotive shop when an opportunity to interview for a fleet mechanic helper position became available at Fulton County.
“This was a dream job for me because of the benefits, the time off and the vast variety of transportation equipment for me to learn about,” he said, adding that his favorite part of the job is problem solving. “The times I am in a bay diagnosing issues with a mechanic are my favorite. I have always enjoyed diagnosing, repairing issues and teaching others. I love seeing something come in broken and know when it leaves repaired, it may have been because of some- thing I did or something I taught.” He arrives at work at 4:45 a.m. to begin checking fuel levels and
assessing repairs. Each morning he assigns work to mechanics and verifies parts availability. After checking in buses that show up for re-
Eric Shulga – Shop Foreman Elgin School District U-46, Illinois
Eric Shulga’s mother was a school
bus driver for Elgin School District U-46 while he was in tech school looking for a job. She suggested the bus garage. “Well, I graduated Friday and started on Monday. This will be my 16th year here,” he said, adding that his favorite part of the job is teaching. “When you teach or
show someone something new or help them figure out a problem that stumped them and once you help them and they have that ‘ah-ha moment’ and figure it all out … That’s the best feeling when the stuff you show them and lead them to the fix or answer and they figure it out all on their own.” He said all the new techs and high school interns that come
into the shop will have that moment. He noted that his day consists of scheduling and assigning
service work, double-checking parts inventory, providing quality assurance in the shop, and checking if techs need any help. He schedules and reviews fuel deliveries, and maintains the fuel sta- tion as well as other bulk fluid inventories. Janis Thompson, driver-trainer for the district, added in her nom- ination that Shulga provides the day-to-day operations in the shop.
44 School Transportation News • AUGUST 2024
Total school buses in fleet: 957 (535 at his location) Total other district vehicles: 281 (158 at his location) Total staff in the bus garage/shop: 17
pairs, he spends as much time as possible in the shop to assist with any issue, monitor workflow and verify the high standard of the fleet. Chelsea Uphaus, director of marketing for ROUSH CleanTech, said in her nomination that McKinzie has multiple certifications and leads his team of 16 with care and respect. “McKinzie helps his employees navigate the continuously evolving field of transportation by prioritizing research, training and hands-on experience with new technology, including propane autogas.” McKinzie noted that Fulton County currently runs 545 total
propane powered school buses (313 are maintained at his shop), with 50 more on order. “I have always been a diesel guy, so I was skeptical when I learned we were converting to propane,” he admit- ted. “Since then, I have changed my tune. Not only has maintenance cost diminished greatly, bus inspections and service times have shortened also. Just oil changes alone, we save over $150 per bus compared to diesel engines. And the best thing, there are no emis- sion issues with propane buses. This allows us more time to focus on other issues and continue to improve our fleet.” Uphaus added that he helps the community understand and
appreciate the value of school transportation by participating in public events.
Total school buses in fleet: 344 Total other district vehicles: 48 Total staff in the bus garage/shop: 15
“He is very efficient, successful and productive,” she wrote. “He
has great knowledge/experience in supervising a team of workers. He is capable of setting goals, delegating tasks and monitoring progress. He promotes safety in the shop for the mechanics, driv- ers and all employees. He understands the importance of safety protocols and is always effectively managing and enforcing them.” One project Shulga worked on was digitizing the inventory
and work order system. This gives the district improved visibility of part inventory scheduling for curial times of the year, such as at school start and end, and how the seasonal changes result in what parts need to be in inventory. He said going digital stream- lined a lot of the processes already in place. “Eric has excellent organizational skills, technical skills and
customer service. He has a strong understanding of the man- ufacturing process which is critical to ensuring quality control measures are implemented,” Thompson added. Shulga concluded that he and his staff can overcome any challenges that come to the shop. “A motto we live by here is that we are all on the same team in this shop, we all wear the same uniform, so if someone fails, we fail as a whole, and if someone wins, we win as a whole,” he said. “That’s why our techs new and old help each other out as much as we do, we want to be better than the day before.”
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
