Fair, which is the third largest school district in Texas per student enrollment, buses also have GPS, routing software, tablets, and student tracking RFID cards. The tablets and student verification technology, a term Smith prefers, have been a huge help for substitute drivers. He noted that a large stress point for sub drivers was getting to a bus stop and not knowing the kids and their ages. He recalled that when drivers unloaded these students, they didn’t know if they were supposed to be released to a guardian or not. “Now with technology, we have our student roster on the tablet, on the bus,” he said. “Tablets go dark when we’re driving but it’s activated when we get to the stop zone, we know the students getting off. It alerts us if they’re getting off at the wrong stop. It shows us if they’re pre-K or kindergartener and the students that must be met at the bus stop [by a guardian].” He added that red borders on the badges of younger
students indicate to bus drivers when to look for a pa- rental guardian picking them up. “As a driver, it takes that stress level down another
notch,” Smith said. He noted that at first, when the tech- nology was implemented, there was concern whether drivers were going to embrace it, Now, he said not only have drivers embraced it, but they’ve taken ownership of it, accepted it and want it. “They know it is a very valuable tool, and we hear
[from them] if they don’t have it or if it’s not working,” Smith said. “It’s been definitely a benefit to us, it helps out tremendously, especially as a sub driver.”
Hands-On Leader As I followed Smith, known around the transporta-
tion center as Doc, around his team and co-workers, I understood why he’s a well-respected leader. Assistant directors Cheryll Hill and Fernando Zambrano described Smith as visionary and a forward thinker. Both Hill and Zambrano have also taken on a route this year due to the shortage of drivers. Hill oversees training and described Smith as unafraid
of change. When he envisions an idea, she shared, he calls a meeting to challenge the team to make the idea come to life. She noted that he is one step ahead of things and sees the bigger picture. Hill added that Smith also encourages his staff to push past their comfort zones. Bobby Williams, assistant director of fleet services noted Smith is hands-on. Williams and Smith worked together for two years at Dallas ISD and are on their third year working together at Cy-Fair. “The best way to describe Kayne is being dedicated,”
Williams said of Smith’s leadership style. “And he is totally committed to whatever it is, whether it has to do with the
66 School Transportation News • NOVEMBER 2021
William Powell (left), the assistant superintendent for support services, first hired Smith seven years ago as his assistant director of transportation at Cy-Fair ISD.
buses, the drivers, the mechanics, any part of it, he’s 100 percent involved in it and dedicated to it. And when I say involved, he wants to know what’s going on, he wants to know what’s happening. He wants to be involved in it.” Williams added that if he or his staff need something
to do the job more efficiently, Smith is going to back them up 100 percent. For example, Williams said he will approach Smith and recommend a certain tool be pur- chased, what it is for, and how transportation can benefit from it. Smith will then take care of it. “Which ends up saving us money,” Williams noted, adding that it’s not just his department that reaps these benefits. Smith ad- vocates for all his departments and their needs. “He leads by example,” Williams added, noting that
Smith is the first one in the office and the last one to leave. “He’s not just looking at what’s going on right now. He’s looking at five years to 10 years, where do we need to be, how do we get there, and what is it going to take to get there?” He noted that with COVID-19 specifically, Smith encouraged the department to come up with a plan and execute it as a team.
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 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
