He added that the lead interventionist for the district, who was trained extensively on de-escalation techniques, created the presentation and worked with the drivers. The district’s lead autism specialist was another trainer that session. Todd Livesay, the di-
rector of transportation for Franklin Township Com- munity School Corporation in Indiana, shared a similar
story. He said the strength of his department’s culture and the impor- tance of intentional support for people stood out to him most this school year. “We’ve responded [to driver shortages] by
putting an even greater focus on our employees,” he said. “We’ve amped up our Employee of the Month program, strengthened our office staff to provide better daily sup- port, and made significant routing adjustments to reduce workload and stress.” The biggest lesson learned has been simple. “When you take care of your people, they take care of
your students. We are continuing to listen, recognize great work and find ways to make the job better for our team,” said Livesay. Outside of culture, he said he is proud of how his staff
have continued to redefine their operations rather than simply accept the challenges in front of them. FTCSC has transitioned to a four-tier transportation model, combined with significant rerouting and efficiency improvements. “[It] allowed us to better address our driver shortage
while continuing to provide safe, reliable transportation for our students,” Livesay said. “What makes me most proud is that we were willing to challenge the way we had always done things. Instead of saying, ‘We just need more drivers,’ we looked at what we could control and asked how we could operate differently. “For me, that represents where our department is
headed—being willing to adapt, innovate and contin- uously find better ways to serve students and families
with the resources we have.” Amy Rosa, the director of safety and transportation at
Wa-Nee Community Schools in Indiana, attributed the back-to-school success to the work that takes place long before the first student steps on a school bus. “Consistent communication throughout the summer
combined with extensive route evaluation and prepa- ration has helped us get the school year off to a strong start,” she shared, adding that each year she is remind- ed there is no magic button when it comes to school transportation. “A successful transportation operation requires a tremendous amount of planning, commu- nication, flexibility, and teamwork. Everyone plays a role, from the transportation director and router to our mechanics, office staff, administrators, and, most impor- tantly, our bus drivers.” Rosa noted that every student has a unique schedule,
every route has its own challenges, and every bus stop must be evaluated with safety and efficiency in mind. She noted that transportation staff continues to spend considerable time reviewing routes, identifying potential problems before school starts, communicating chang- es to families and drivers, and adjusting to changes in enrollment and student needs. “This year, we have continued to emphasize early
communication and preparation rather than waiting for problems to develop,” she added. “The more we can identify and address potential issues during the summer, the smoother our first days of school become. While there will always be unexpected challenges, preparation gives our team the ability to respond quickly and confi- dently when they occur. “The back-to-school process reinforces something I
believe strongly: Good transportation doesn’t happen by accident,” she continued. “It is the result of people who are willing to put in the time and effort to make sure students get to school safely and on time.” Jennifer Gardella, director of transportation at
Rockwall Independent School District in Texas, said communication is also a priority of hers. “One of the things that I’ve told myself that I want to
ensure that I’m doing is being intentional with my com- munication,” she shared, adding that one change she made this was not providing all the training herself. “My training team stepped in and did some of the training. Now we’re in the place where I get to be intentional with giving the do’s and the don’ts, and then the awesome team gets to go in and do the training hands on.”
Learn more about the Top Transportation Teams awarded at STN EXPO West in July at
stnonline.com/go/px.
www.stnonline.com 27
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