Blog Site Now Contained Within the New STNOnline.com

Over the weekend, we launched a redesigned, easier-to-use magazine web site. One of the new features is our self-contained blog network. This means we will no longer be updating our external pages. Please bookmark stnonline.com and follow us there. Thanks for visiting!

National Express Group: Jumping Onboard the Stagecoach?

School bus personnel at the second largest school bus contractor in North America must be feeling schizophrenic. Since June, nearly every morning they prepare for work, they have had serious questions as to whom they'll be reporting to by day's end.

Soon, it may be superiors at Stagecoach Group plc.

With a consortium led by majority stakeholder the Cosmen family of Spain having retracted its interest in National Express Group plc, UK competitor Stagecoach has now stepped up as a sole pursuer of company that holds Durham School Services in the United States and Stock Transportation in Canada after a consortium led by National Express' largest shareholder has walked away from the table.

However, what might happen to the school bus business remains to be seen. In fact, a lot remains to be seen. There's been nary a mention of National Express' lucrative school transportation holdings in North America, which are operated by National Express Corporation. And its employees know little more than what was announced in a company memo issued on Sept. 11 by Brian Stock, president and CEO of National Express Corp., that basically gave employees background information on the Cosmen family, which has 11 generations worth of experience in the transportation business dating back to 1728.

It’s been a long and winding road for the company over the past five months. First, FirstGroup plc, the parent company of First Student, made an informal inquiry into purchasing the business after National Express walked away from a lucrative UK east coast rail contract amid cashflow troubles, its stock plunged and its CEO departed. After FirstGroup said it was no longer interested, Jorge Cosmen, the leader of the Spanish transportation mogul family and the 18.5 percent majority stockholder on the National Express board, joined forces with consulting firm CVC Capital Parnters with the designs of a takeover. Different offers resulted, and even Stagecoach was brought into the fray. And now, Stagecoach is the only company still in the running. But it still remains very much up in the air if National Express will be purchased.

The Cosmens’ consortium announced late last week it was no longer interested in pursuing the deal. In a statement made yesterday, the company said it is still exploring the possibility of raising private capital rather than moving on with a sale, though the board “will carefully consider the Stagecoach Proposal whilst continuing to progress its equity funding plans in order to assess whether the Stagecoach Proposal offers greater value and certainty to NEC shareholders.”

According to Bloomberg News, Stagecoach is offering £1.7 billion, or $2.8 billion. As a result, National Express’ stock price gained 11 percent on the London Stock Exchange. But its share price is still down about 60 percent from highs last October.

No Shortage of Drivers? Tell That to These Schools

I've heard from transportation directors across the country that one silver lining to the current economy is that it has reversed a trend toward driver shortages, a problem that has historically plagued the industry.

Lack of pay and guaranteed hours has often been a culprit, especially when others with their commercial driver's license can receive more pay with less responsibility at transit agencies and private trucking firms. But over the past year, with unemployment running rampant, school tranportation personnel have told me on the phone and in person that they finally have enough employees to fill all the driver seats. Yet, a different story is coming out of Arkansas, according to the Couriernews.com.

Reporter Cindi Nobles writes about the Atkins and Russellville school districts in the northwest part of the state that say they are experiencing continued problems finding drivers.

Russellville School District transportation director Jim Dickerson said he has received many phone calls in which individuals indicated interest in the job, but not many actual applicants.

“I’ve had a lot of guys calling, saying, ‘Hey man, you got any openings?’” Dickerson said. “Of course, we always do, but nobody actually comes in here and fills out an application.”

Mike Simmons, the senior transportation manager at the Arkansas Department of Education, said that he has also heard some school districts complain about a lack of drivers in this economic environment, mostly from more rural areas where the pool of potential drivers is much smaller to begin with.

"In some districts, and nobody's got an overabundance of driver,s but no one is really hurting. And then i have other districts where the transportation director has to drive just about everyday," he said.

Apparently, add continued driver shortages to the problems rural districts have with the skyrocketing costs of transporting children many more miles than their more urban counterparts.

A Special 60K: Grant Funds Come in Different Shapes and Sizes for School Transportation

By Ryan Gray

While not for yellow bus service, a Michigan middle school is using some of a large pot of grant money bestowed by the foundation named for the founder of Kellogg's cereals to fund a new computer lab that will assist students in purchasing transit bus passes. I know what many of you might be saying: "Well, it sure would be nice if the district's school transportation received its share." I don't portend to know the answer, but I would respond, "Did it even try?"

It's cliched, but you definitely don't get what you don't ask for. It's true in love, in life and certainly school transportation. Gardner Middle School in Lansing apparently asked and received, as it was awarded $60,000 for the computer lab through the end of next school year. In addition to enabling students to buy passes from the Capital Area Transportation Authority, the grant also includes an after-school snack program, stipends for two teachers and two student scholarships.

As you are likely well aware, school transportation is vital to getting children in their classroom seat, and, if successful, schools stand to gain dearly. Attendance is tied to adequate yearly progress, and all states are watching carefully especially in these lean economic times. It just so happens that last month Lansing School District announced that 31 of its 33 schools earned AYP recognition from the state department of education.

It wasn't immediately known what role, if any, Lansing's school transportation department had in administering the funds. Here's hoping it had a say. Just like with the federal Safe Routes to School Program, there is plenty of money that in one way or another can benefit school transportation coffers, that is if you just know where to look for it and can connect the dots back to your department. Decisions on how to use the money should incorporate the feedback of the experts in how to safely and efficiently move children from home to school and back each day.

Driver in Fatal Idaho Motorcoach Accident also SB Driver

District said not to be aware of her other job but adds, 'This is not uncommon'

By Lisa Hudson

Officials for the Nebo, Utah, school district confirmed on Oct. 13 that the motorcoach driver involved in the fatal rollover accident on days previously in Idaho has been employed with their district since January 2003.

According to a report from the Desert News, Debra Jarvis, who was operating a charter for Lake Shore Motor Coach Lines, was driving members of the American Fork High School Marching Band back from a competition earlier in the day when she apparently "blacked out for unknown reasons." The bus veered off I-15 and rolled over, partially ejecting Heather Christensen, a band instructor, who had tried to grab the wheel and take control of the bus. Christensen died at the scene from her injuries.

The newspaper also reported that district official said Jarvis has "an excellent driving record" with the district and recently passed a physical.

District spokesperson Lana Hiskey acknowledged that they were not aware of Jarvis' employment with Lake Shore but also indicated, "Many of our employees have more than one job."

The situation raises not only the question of Jarvis' hours of service, which the motorcoach company is bound by federal law to ensure that drivers don't exceed, but also an interesting HR question: do you know which, if any of your employees hold jobs in addition to their school transportation one, and do you know what they are?

Are there compelling reasons why you should or perhaps rules/policies that say you can't? We want to hear from you—what records, if any, are kept for your district or operation?

Why or why not?

A Rare and Unnerving School Bus Stop

Leave it to a school bus driver to take initiative when a child is in danger.

Last week, Valerie Flanagan thought an animal in the road was the reason for slowing, swerving traffic as she drove her Garden Grove (Calif.) Unified School District bus back to the depot following her morning route. As reported on KTLA News on Oct. 8, the 23-year veteran driver said at least eight cars swerved in front of her before she realized why: a 4-year-old child was wandering in the far right lane.

Flanagan pulled over her bus, set the warning lights and left the bus (no children were inside at the time) to try and retrieve the child. She said she didn’t want to chase after the boy in fear he would run into oncoming traffic. So she knelt on the side of the road way and persuaded him to come to her. She then picked him up and took him to the bus.

Meanwhile, as can only happen in Southern California (and few other choice places), motorists honked and yelled profanities at Flanagan because she was blocking the road. A local police spokesman said the child had apparently wandered off from a courtyard area at the nearby Westminster civic center, and his mother was frantically searching for him.

Flanagan said she didn’t feel like a hero and never hesitated before doing what she says she believes anyone else would have done. Especially another school bus driver.

Budget Pains Continue for Transportation for Seattle

As if the economy hasn’t hit school transportation coffers hard enough this year, the news outlets reported last week that 10,000 students in the Seattle, Bellevue, Washington and Lake Mercer school districts could see their mass transit passes affected by 33 percent fare increases from the King County metro system.

Does such a move make sense in today’s economy?

The state has been working for a couple of years on reformulating school transportation funding. The article says state officials are hoping to be able to fully fund their service “and make cost increases like this disappear — but when that will happen is uncertain.

It’s an interesting move from the transit provider despite tens of billions of dollars in stimulus funds this year. But, more and more mass transit systems are turning to fare hikes to curb their own budget deficits caused by rising unemployment. There have been comments for a while now that mass transit should be doing the opposite, namely lowering fares to provide relief to those struggling financially. As a result, ridership could skyrocket.

Let’s Go for a Walk

By Ryan Gray

Wednesday marked National Walk to School Day, an initiative promoted by the National Center for Safe Routes to School. More than 3,000 schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia participated, and 40 countries including the United States are recognizing October as National Walk to School Month.

The key here is walking “safe.”

Students on the south side of Chicago made headlines last month after a 16-year-old, innocent bystander honor student was killed during a gang fight outside his high school as he walked to the school bus stop. Just this week shows were all over the topic of increases school violence, such as CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 that broadcast this week from the Windy City. Meanwhile, other media outlets have been questioning how safe it is for kids to walk to school, especially as shrinking school budgets and reduced or eliminated bus routes have made this a necessity. Look no further than on the U.S. News & World Report Web site.

Blogger Nancy Shute describes a mile-long walk she, her daughter and another student took this week to the local elementary school. She called it “a glorious way to start the day, far better than the usual rush to the bus stop.”

But, as Shute points out, fewer and fewer kids are walking to and from school compared to years, decades past. That’s the topic of a new book, “Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts with Worry,” by Lenore Skenazy, the New York mother who made headlines last year for allowing her then 9-year-old soon to ride the subway and transit bus to school by himself. In a New York Times article last month, she called walking to school a political act. And, indeed it has become that, when you consider the Federal Highway Administration is behind Safe Routes to School.

But it remains controversial, not just with parents due to highly publicized school bus stop abductions, like the whole Jaycee Dugard case of this summer, but also in school district transportation operations. There still are rumblings that this Safe Routes federal program should proves there could be money for school bus transportation, which is the safest way for kids to be driven to and from school. But there’s obviously also the physical fitness standpoint to be considered, as only about 13 percent of kids today walk or bike to school compared to more than 41 percent 40 years ago. The Journal of the American Planning Association recently studied parents in San Francisco who drove their 10- to 14-year olds to school and found that half wouldn’t allow their kids to walk to school without supervision, 30 percent of whom said that fear of strangers guided their decision.

We talked about this before, but this month is as good as any to bring it up once again: schools have the perfect entry point into directing and managing wide scale walking programs, especially as there’s federal money to gain. Increasingly, more and more school district transportation departments getting on board. It’s a way to promote healthier lifestyles in children, and what better way to be environmentally green? Not to say that school buses don’t still have their place in helping kids get in education by providing a ride to and from school, and the same goes for transit when done safely — I seriously question those who think a 9-year-old can be safe on an inner city bus ride, or, as was recently the case in Maryland, a 6-year-old!

But especially in this economic climate, schools need all the resources they can get. And in doing so, the kids can actually stop and smell the roses.

Tell us if your school has a story from National Walk to School Week or has any particular plans for recognizing National Walk to School Month.

Parental Involvement: Wouldn't it Be Nice?

The National PTO wrote about parent involvement in their child's education on its blog yesterday. In doing so, it recognized Minnesota, one of the few states that celebrates the role parents play in school. It's apropos, after all, as October is parental involvement month. PTO even has a parent involvement toolkit.

But, the PTO asks, why aren't more states following Minnesota's lead?

Parents can be a forgotten, underestimated group in school transportation operations - that is until something goes wrong. Understandably, pupil transporters concentrate on the needs of the children they serve, and some have a lot of special needs, especially those with disabilities. Parent outreach is vital when it comes to IEP meetings in which transportation service is a necessary component. Some schools here and there make the school bus part of back to school night, or bus driver are assigned or take it upon themselves to visit parents of the students riding their bus to talk about a variety of topics from bus stops to home life. Plus, it can be cool just to say hi and introduce themselves.

Meanwhile, Head Start relies heavily on parents. The majority of the more than 200,000 workers at and for Head Start agencies are local volunteers, many of them the parents of the children who partake in the federal program. It's so important of a topic that the National Head Start Association each December holds a special parent training conference.

What is your school district doing to reach out to parents? Is there a shortage of parents stepping up to the plate to make sure transportation service is all it could be? This month provides an excellent opportunity to question how parents are involved in the transportation decisions that affect their children. After all, they are the true customers. The tax paying ones.

Musing about Monitors

By Peggy Burns, Esq.

There has been a spate of recent legal decisions and media headlines that have made me think about the relationship between drivers and paraprofessionals on school transportation vehicles. I’m using the word “paraprofessional” to suggest a broad range of job titles – like monitors, attendants, aides, escorts. I’m less concerned about what they’re called, or even their specific duties, than I am about their own expectations about their roles, and what you’ve communicated to them and to drivers about the interaction between these two categories of individuals.

Typically, the bus driver is the “captain” of the bus. What do we expect of a paraprofessional if he or she becomes aware that the driver is doing something wrong? And, for that matter, what do we expect of the driver in the face of unacceptable conduct by the paraprofessional? Have you really identified the relationship between the two and empowered each to take action when necessary to prevent harm to students?

Do paraprofessionals and drivers have the information about likely needs of students on the bus that will help them anticipate the opportunities and methods by which they must keep the students safe? That’s your responsibility, and that of your district and/or company.

Your employees must take reasonable action under a wide variety of circumstances. At a minimum, your staff members must speak up and question potentially aberrant behavior. At a minimum, they must do what they can reasonably do to intervene in the face of likely harm. That’s true even though they may not have the ability to actually stop the harm from occurring, and may not be expected to do so.

And, of course, both paraprofessionals and drivers should have the means to report – and use those measures to report – to dispatch and/or the authorities when any number of situations occur on the bus. Regardless of what entity owns the vehicle, and what entity employs the paraprofessional and the driver, both need to have access to communication equipment be trained to use it.

I haven’t thought much about this before. Maybe you haven’t either. But take my word for it: the courts and media are paying sudden attention to these issues; we’d better too.

Peggy Burns is an attorney and consultant, and owner of Education Compliance Group, Inc. She is the editor of Legal Routes, and developer of four video training programs, “The Road to Compliance for Special Needs Drivers,"“Putting the Brakes on Harassment: Training for School Bus Drivers," “Steering Clear of Liability: Training for School Bus Drivers," and “Confidential Records: Training for School Bus Drivers.” Peggy can be reached at (888) 604-6141, and by email to ecginc@qwestoffice.net.

U.S. DOT Says It Will Announce 'Concrete Actions' Against Distracted Driving at Next Week's Summit

Group files petition to prohibit or restrict the use of "unsafe electronic devices" by drivers of commercial vehicles

By Lisa J. Hudson

In anticipation of next week's federal summit on distracted driving, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is expected to announce what the department calls "concrete actions" on issue. Today, a report from National Public Radio outlines the issues surrounding the two-day summit, which will be held September 30 and October 1. You can download the agenda.

The NPR report also discusses a press conference call held on Sept. 24 by the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. The group, which is funded by the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, filed a petition with the U.S. DOT calling on the FMCSA to implement a rulemaking that would prohibit or restrict the use of "unsafe" electronic devices by drivers of commercial vehicles, such as tractor-trailers, motorcoach buses, and large vans.

The group's conference call included a statement by Elissa and Jamie Schee of Ocala, Fla., whose daughter Frances “Margay” Schee, age 13, was killed last year when a tractor trailer rammed into the back of a stopped school bus with lights flashing, resulting in the vehicles catching fire. Margay died in the resulting fire. The truck driver’s cell phone use was determined by authorities to be a contributing factor in the fatal crash. The Schee's participation in the call coincided with the one year anniversary of Margay's death on Sept. 23, 2008.

So Much for Compartmentalization in New Airplane Design

School bus safety is predicated on the concept of compartmentalization, the safety envelope provided to students by the cushioned high back bench seats that are supposed to keep the children from being tossed about the bus in the event of a crash.

Certainly, no two crashes are the same, each with its own impact zones and forces that can cause injuries no matter what. That's the argument used by seat belt proponents. But today's blog isn't about seat belts but an interesting new commercial airplane passenger seating design originating out of England that promises increased capacity.

"Airplanes?" you ask. "What do airplanes have to do with school transportation?" The designs originated at a school in Stokes on Trent in England.

Modeled after troop transport planes, designer Howard Guy was working on a new learning project for the school's students when he had the epiphany that this could help airlines realize a 15- to 20 percent increase in capacity. Let's just hope it never finds its way out of the classroom and onto school buses, or airplanes, for that matter.

Beating on a School Bus

The Belleville Police Department in Illinois released this video today. You can hear the school bus driver repeatedly telling students to sit down as the student is beaten.

News reports say two students might be expelled and three others may be suspended by the district.

‘Agreement of Principles’ Reached on Possible Sale of UK Contractor with North American School Bus Ties

By Ryan Gray

The prospect that UK’s National Express Group, the owner of Durham School Services in the United States and Stock Transportation in Canada, might be acquired by rival Stagecoach Group plc appears more and more likely as the companies reached an understanding on how to move forward with a sale.

Stagecoach last week joined a consortium interested in purchasing all of National Express Group led by Jorge Cosmen, non-executive deputy chairman of National Express and chief representative of Spain’s Cosmen family, the majority shareholder of National Express at 18.5 percent. The family joined private equity firm CVC earlier this summer to bid for a takeover of National Express’ complete portfolio.

Today’s statement by National Express confirming that talks are underway regarding acquisition does not mention its North American operations under the National Express Corporation flag, which includes the second largest contracted school bus fleet in North America behind FirstGroup plc’s FirstGroup North America and First Student, which made its own unofficial bid for National Express in June.

We’re still trying to track down a comment by company representatives here in the states, but in reading National Express’ statement today, it would seem that the Cosmen’s have different designs on the North American school bus business as it only mentions Stagecoach possibly acquiring National Express’ UK bus and rail operations.

Visit STNonline.com for the latest on this story.

The Case is Made (Once Again) for Keeping Teens from Driving Their Peers

Another sad story unfolded prior to the Labor Day weekend when a 17-year-old boy fell out of a vehicle driven by an 18-year-old friend and was run over by a school bus. It happened in Willis, Texas, near Houston Friday afternoon as the victim’s brother and a busload of students watched in horror.

The Texas Department of Public Safety said the school bus driver had no time to react when Alex Caballero fell out of a car driven by Jose Juan Sanchez and into the path of the bus. According to the DPS, Caballero had just missed his bus and was receiving a ride home from Sanchez when the incident occurred. Apparently, Sanchez had been in an altercation earlier in the day with another student, as he and Caballero left the Willis High School parking lot, the fight resumed. What happened next turned tragic.

Someone in the other vehicle threw a car mirror at Caballero's vehicle, striking Caballero. He returned the mirror toward the other vehicle, at which point he apparently either fell out of Sanchez's car or was trying to get out to escalate the fight. He fell to the pavement and was run over by the school bus.

Incorporating the School Bus into Back to School Bus Night

By Ryan Gray

The About.com Special Needs Children blog had an interesting post today from writer Terry Mauro on the importance of parents attending their child's back to school night. She says more and more parents are skipping out on the annual rite of passage, as it appears busy schedules or plain disinterest are at play.

I can't say that I'm surprised, though it still is disheartening that so many parents don't or can't make the time to attend. Mauro provides a list of 10 reasons why back to school night is a must for parents. Mauro speaks from the special needs angle, but I write about it here in the Daily Routes blog because it rings true for all parents, especially those whose kids ride the school bus.

One evening a year is not too much to ask to get to know your child's teachers, the parents of your child's classmates. It's a great opportunity to see your child's classroom(s) and gauge the type of learning environment available to them. My question is, how many back to school nights also include school bus drivers? Despite budget cuts, I think it would be a great idea for schools to find the money to pay drivers for two extra hours to attend back to school night and to make themselves available to parents. It would be doubly grand if the school could incorporate some sort of school bus introduction or training for those parents whose kids ride yellow. Perhaps it's already done. I'd love to hear about it.

Bus Cuts a Punishment to Voters? You Bet

Like many school districts nationwide, Upper Township School District in Petersburg, N.J., located near Ocean City is saddled with immense budget cuts. This school year, the district saw its operating budget reduced by nearly $1 million, and transportation was one of the program losers. To make ends meet, the school board to relocate school bus stops from neighborhood cul-de-sacs to hubs along busy area highways and to start school later in the day. And parents aren't too thrilled.

But, according to news reports, many of those same parents voted down a new school budget. So the parents are saying that the school district is using the school bus stop changes as a way to penalize them.

Actually, that's probably not too far from the truth. The parents are being penalized, and worse yet so are their children. But I wouldn't say it's the school district's fault. As superintendent Vincent Palmierri says:

"We were charged to eliminate almost $1 million without impacting education ... It’s hard. I don’t know how you do that without impacting education. We heard the community clearly and very loudly. We had a very defeated budget for a lot of reasons."

Sometimes it takes an economic downturn to show people reality. I don't relish tax increases, but I recognize that something has to give when it comes to expecting public services when there is only so much money to go around. Certainly, a case could be made for ensuring that money is spent in the wisest, most efficient manner. But according to this news article, it appears that is exactly what the school district is trying to do amid new state regulations for budget oversight.

You would think the recession would have taught us all a lesson by now that at some point society must be willing to shoulder the burden for increased costs of certain services or accept that those services will be reduced or eliminated.

NSTA's Robin Leeds on CNN: 20% of Schools are Reducing Transportation

By Ryan Gray

Robin Leeds, the industry consultant to the National School Transportation Association and a 2009 STN EXPO keynote speaker, was just interviewed on CNN Newsroom regarding massive budget cuts nationwide that are hitting schools, and as a result school transportation services are falling by the wayside.

The American Association of School Administrators recently reported via a survey of its members conducted last month that 44 percent of schools are eliminating field trips and 35 percent are consolidating bus routes as a way to deal with strangling budget freezes and eliminations. Forty-eight states are experiencing shortfalls in their budgets that are affecting education. Today, Leeds told CNN anchor Kyra Phillips that 20 percent of the nation's schools are experiencing some kind of cutback to regular school bus route services.

Phillips, who said she rode the school bus as a child, expressed outrage and asked what effect these cuts will have on child safety, such as opening up students to sexual predators.

While Leeds didn't touch on the sexual predator topic, she did mention that only about 20 students are killed in or around the school bus each year, about 16 on average who aren't even riding the bus at the time and are struck as pedestrians who just disembarked the bus or were about to board, according to U.S. DOT estimates. Sometimes these kids are hit by the bus itself, but more often they are struck by passing motorists. Meanwhile, Leeds said some 800 students on average are killed each year on their way to or from school in other vehicles, waking or riding bicycles, again based on federal estimates.

Leeds did relay to Phillips and viewers a phone call she recently received from a grandmother living in Indiana who was concerned about recent cuts made at her 8-year-old grandchild's school district.

Lack of money was forcing the schools to reduce routes to the point that a local church parking lot was being designated as student congregation area for morning pick-ups and drop-offs. The grandchild lives 3/4 miles from the church, but the only route to and from the church is along a busy four-lane highway with a posted 55 mph speed limit and no shoulder due to highway construction.

As the segment ran out of time, Phillips promised Leeds that CNN would stay on top of the issue and would bring her back in the near future.

Keeping the Rubber on the Road: NYC Senior Citizens to Ride School Buses for Free

NYC School Buses to be Used for Access-A-Ride Program When Not Transporting Students

By Lisa J. Hudson

School buses that sit idle between their morning and afternoon runs would be put in service to transport New York City's senior citizens under a proposed quality of life improvement plan announced August 25 by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The offer of free bus transportation to supermarkets to increase access to healthy food options is just one of 59 recommendations announced at a joint press conference with the Mayor, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, and the New York Academy of Medicine, which praised the recommendations as a blueprint to enhance city's livability for older New Yorkers.

"Department of Education school buses, when they are not needed to transport students, will be available to older New Yorkers at no charge," the recommendation report, Age Friendly NYC Enhancing Our City’s Livability for Older New Yorkers, states. Transportation will be provided for older adults from senior centers and naturally occurring retirement communities (NORCs) to supermarkets throughout the five boroughs.

Mayor Bloomberg explained, “We’re going to be using our school buses, which, if you think about it, stand vacant for a large part of the day, to shuttle older New Yorkers to and from grocery stores.”

The New York Times, reporting from the press conference, stated that the cost of using school buses for this program, "would be minimal, since the drivers are already paid for more hours than they actually work," and went on to quote Linda I. Gibbs, the deputy mayor for health and human services, who said, "We’ve purchased the full day’s service, so it’s within the contract."

The article did not offer a reaction by school bus drivers, the unions that represent them or the private school bus operations whose drivers would be impacted. The idea for using school buses to transport New York City's older residents comes from a pilot program in Brooklyn which started providing rides to an estimated 1,800 New Yorkers last year.

The idea of riding the school bus for this program garnered mixed reactions. Most seniors who spoke with the New York Times were skeptical, and their concerns included the potential lack of room for them to sit comfortably, that air conditioning would be a must, and that the lack of bathroom facilities on board would also be of concern.

On the other hand, given some of the criticisms of Access-a-Ride, the federally-mandated service for people who cannot use public transit usually due to mobility impairments, and taxis by seniors in the blueprint report, the school bus may provide the balance the administration is seeking.

For example, in the blueprint, seniors noted several reliability and efficiency concerns with Access-A-Ride. The Mayor acknowledged these cost efficiency concerns at the press conference, saying that, “You see the Access-A-Ride vans going all around the city, many times with only one or two people in them.”

Additionally, seniors indicated in the blueprint report that many taxis and livery cabs are not wheelchair accessible or easy to get in and out of. For other transportation initiatives where Access-A-Ride, taxis and livery cabs will be needed, the plan is to improve these services by adding GPS and implementing phone notification system in Access-A-Ride vans and a creating a better matching system of accessible taxis and livery cabs with seniors that need these features.

But going back to the school bus issue, the paper did speak with one supporter of the idea: Lovette Glasgow, a 75-year-old retired teacher, who was more willing to give the school buses a chance, and told the paper, “I’m a former educator so I know about yellow school buses. The bus is fine."

The mayor's committee is said to want to have the school bus for a senior’s initiative running by next month.

School Transportation Has No Immunity from Decisions About the Flu

By Peggy Burns

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released its “Guidance for State and Local Public Health Officials and School Administrators for School (K-12) Responses to Influenza during the 2009-2010 School Year.” CDC predicts that schools and health officials can help protect 1/5 of the country’s population from flu by implementing its suggestions. School transportation professionals should be aware:

• Staff members with flu-like illness should be urged to stay home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever, or signs of a fever, without the use of fever-reducing medicines.
• Cleaning bus interiors thoroughly would appear to comport with the CDC recommendation that “School staff should routinely clean areas that students and staff touch often with the cleaners they typically use.”
• School administrators are urged to “balance the risks of flu” with the “disruption dismissals will cause in both education and the wider community.”
• While direct impacts on school transportation operations are not addressed in the Guidance, school transportation administrators are, perhaps, in the best position to consider proactively what those impacts may be and discuss them with school district officials.

Peggy Burns is an attorney/consultant with Education Compliance Group, Inc. Peggy can be reached at (888) 604-6141 and by email to ecginc@qwestoffice.net.

Making Them Feel the Hurt

Here in Colorado, like elsewhere, school districts are cutting stops and consolidating routes, and parents are expressing concern. For the second time in as many weeks, I recently heard a respected school district administrator comment “Let them feel the hurt.” When I was in-house counsel, that was a typical reaction from management when the community had voted down a mill levy increase or bond issue. We often felt that parents had to experience the true cost of their decision, and if band programs or class size was impacted, that was, after all, the point of going to the public for money. I’m finding myself wondering if, in fact, budget cuts necessitated by our economic recession really warrant the same brusqueness.

In any event, it seemed like an apropos time to suggest that we do everything in our power to ensure that the “hurt” affects only convenience and not safety or student achievement. Think about ways you can minimize the possibility that student welfare and school attendance will suffer. Monitor closely the effects of the changes you’ve been forced to make. We’re all in this one together, and we need to weigh and minimize the risks attentively.

Peggy Burns is an attorney/consultant with Education Compliance Group, Inc. Peggy can be reached at (888) 604-6141, and by email.

Hail, Hail the Band’s All ... Wait, Where Did it Go?

A quick look at how the economy is affecting school activity trips ...

As has been documented for sometime during the current economic recession, schools have been forced to make deep cuts to their transportation operations to ensure money continues to flow into classrooms. In additional to reductions in regular routes and school bus driver positions, a popular victim has been school activity trips and namely school bands. Take what has happened to the award-winning Richland High School band in Texas’ Birdville Independent School District.

Budget cuts have forced the band to decline an invitation to attend the prestigious Bands of America Grand National contest in Indianapolis this November. Bus transportation to such events held outside the greater Fort Worth area can cost the school district $2,000 a day not to mention competition entry fees, motel rooms and food. Last year, the American Association of School Administrators surveyed members and found that nearly half reported cut backs to student field trips. With many months, at least, remaining before the economy turns and state budget deficits affecting upwards of 48 states, things are getting tighter and tighter for schools

Back to School a Time to Recall Security

By Ryan Gray

No mention of school transportation is made in an article in the Aug. 9 issue of Parade magazine discussed a way of life many commuters know all too well: mass transit as a terror target. Still, mass transit has recieved $400 million last year to use on security initiatives, a figure the American Public Transportation Association points out is less than 2 percent of the money spent on airline security since 9/11.

Meanwhile, school transportation has received about $7 million in federal funds over the past five or six years total, and most of that money has gone to clean diesel initiatives, according to American School Bus Council members this week, this despite boasting about 10 billion individual students rides each school year, about the same number of riders that APTA says utilize mass transit annually.

Still, as schools start up again, safety and security is a common theme in newspaper articles and TV news segments around the country. But few will talk about terrorism. True, there has yet to be a catastrophic incident involving mass transit or school buses in this country, but the Transportation Security Administration reported 171 mass-transit incidents worldwide in 2007. Public transportation in general remains a soft target for terrorists, yet the funding pales in comparison to what airlines have received since 9/11, about $20 trillion.

Hopefully it won't take another 9/11 to change things.

Update: Yesterday, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced $1.2 billion in additional federal stimulus grants to transit that will in part address increased security. There has been no such funds for school transportation. The only stimulus money schools have been eligible for regarding transportation services was $156 million earlier this year tied to the National Clean Diesel Campaign.

Tales of Lost Love, Never-Forgotten Memories

Hilton Head, S.C., newspaper The Island Packet recently posted a collection of its readers' stories revolving around the yellow bus. The memories include a tale of a first kiss and it's unfortunate repercussions, singing "Doo-wop" songs on the ride home and falling off the bus at the bus stop on the first day at a new school.

You've Heard of Adopt-a-Highway, Now There's Adopt-a-Watt

A new program that solicits corporate sponsorship of solar-power lights around communities, like at a Taylor, Mich., school district's bus stops, is being offered around the nation to help promote projects that utilize renewable alternative fuels.

The program will install 50 solar light stands with the revenue being evenly split between the city and the school district. Sponsorships of around $2,000 each will completely pay for the lights, with the sponsors being listed on a sign similar to shows that adorn stretches of highway.

The excess funds can be used for any purpose that reduces fossil fuel consumption and operating costs. Projects under consideration at Taylor include the purchase of new plug-in hybrid electric vehicles for the city and, for the school district, cleaner burning biodiesel fuel for school buses or even large-scale solar electric systems for school buildings.

The school board approved the program on July 14.

Adopt-a-Watt is already in place at several airports across the country including at Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport and Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. The program also has it's first celebrity spokesperson, Linda Gray of the 1980s TV show "Dallas" fame.

Fighting the PR Battle with Parents Requires Some Understanding

By Ryan Gray

As children across the nation prepare for another school year, millions will be heading to school for the very first time. Kindergartners are notorious for envying bigger kids who seem to have all the independence and confidence in the world. Little do they know!

It makes me chuckle that these young students want so badly to grow up, eager to take on all of life's responsibility, when sometimes I want so badly to just go outside and play. But then I remember I felt the same way at that age, as do most of us.

Still, these kids are very young and oftentimes very small. The school bus could be a scary place ... with all of those big kids, all those big steps to climb. But a blog originating from Tallahassee, Fla., points out that it is oftentimes the parents who are the most scared. Despite her in-coming kindergartner desperately wanting to ride the bus (of course, because he is a big kid!), a mother is petrified that her son is too young to ride unattended. She questions if her child will be left on the bus or let off at the wrong stop. And there are plenty of comments from other mothers telling her not to do it!

Think about your own operation, if it even buses kindergartners, and how user friendly it is to not only your youngest riders but their parents? Do you take the time to find out if some of your new kids are first born, meaning their parents are probably sick to their stomach at the thought of turning their baby loose into the big, bad world.

Food for thought as the buses begin to roll out of the yard.

A Different Kind of Smoking Bus

Tom Vanderbilt, author and the proprietor of the blog "How We Drive," touches on the subject of smoking while driving, prompted by a comment made by a reader, a school bus driver, in an earlier post:

“I don’t smoke, but I don’t see smoking a cigarette as a highly distracting activity and I doubt that there was ever a fatality in a school bus tied to the driver smoking while driving.”

We can't recall ever hearing of a school bus crash much less a fatality caused by a driver who is smoking. But, also as far as we know, most school bus drivers shouldn't be smoking while driving kids in the first place. Many school districts ban drivers from smoking on the bus with or without kids onboard.

What are the regulations in your school district?

School Bus Safety Misses Kids Like Marcus

By Ryan Gray

Crashes happen. They are a byproduct of life. But accidents they rarely are. Usually, a traffic collision results from some sort of operator error. Short of a vehicle malfunction, they usually arise due to driver behavior that could have been avoided. That's a testament to safety of school bus drivers, as on average six children die on-board the bus each year.

I know, one is too many, but school buses do represent the safest form of ground transportation in America. The federal government admits as much. But does such a claim also pays disservice to the 8,500 or so children who are injured as a result of crashes, whether those be the fault of school bus driver or other motorists.

One of these students is Marcus Button, a Tampa Bay, Fla., teen who suffered life altering injuries as a result of a 2007 crash that resulted when a school bus driver failed yield the right of way. The boy and his parents are suing the Pasco County school district, and the trial started late last month.

Marcus detailed on the stand how the brain damage he suffered took away his sense of smell and most of his sense of taste. He was hospitalized for three months following the accident and underwent several surgies to repair his broken face.

The plot thickens, however, when you realize that Marcus was not riding on the school bus but in a friend's car. Would the teen be preparing for the upcoming college academic year, parties and football games this fall had he been on the yellow bus instead of struggling to even walk? Perhaps. Regardless, it serves as a reminder that school bus operators cannot forget those students who for whatever reason don't ride the bus, whether they choose not to or are ineligible to ride in the first place. And with the economy and resulting reductions or all out cuts to school transportation, those numbers are growing.

It also puts a face the thousands of students who do ride the school bus but are injured in crashes. Most are minor, but life-altering injuries occur there, too. In two years, all newly manufactured small school buses must be equipped with lap/shoulder restraints. They will remain an option on all large buses.

It will be interesting to not only see data on how many serious injuries will be reduced by seat belts but how the technology might school buses seem even safer to parents and kids like Marcus who chose not to utilize the service. It might just positively alter thousands of additional lives.

Social Networking the Old Fashioned Way: Be Bold

By Peggy Burns

I’ve given presentations at a number of conferences this summer, in all parts of the country. Concern about transportation professionals’ relationship with immediate supervisors, superintendents, and boards of education is a common theme of questions and comments I’ve heard. It seems you’re being asked to make exceptions to policy, move bus stops to appease an individual powerful – or persistent – parent, and, generally, to operate in an atmosphere in which you feel a lack of support. School transportation professionals need to “do” rather than be “done to.” I strongly recommend you take initiative to do the following:

• Determine specific safety risks inherent in exceptions you’re asked to make

• Identify real costs when changes are made

• Anticipate unintended consequences of budget cuts

• Be constant learners about school transportation options, alternatives, equipments, and methods

• Educate your supervisors about what you learn

• Demonstrate the impact of decisions that you make, and that others make

You may have far more power if you’re a bit less passive. Let’s see what happens.

Peggy Burns is an attorney/consultant with Education Compliance Group, Inc. Peggy can be reached at (888) 604-6141, and by email to ecginc@qwestoffice.net.

Not Quite the Kind of PR One Desires

Or is it?

Bob Braun of the Star-Ledger newspaper in New Jersey had a lede yesterday in a crime story that made us chuckle:

The Blue Bird. The All-American Blue Bird. That was the name written on the bus that today brought to court scores of shackled defendants in what federal prosecutors are calling the "most significant" corruption case in recent New Jersey history.

I'm sure the paragraph, albeit clever, ruffled some feathers at Blue Bird's corporate headquarters in Fort Valley, Ga. But it might also make the company happy as it can revel in seeing its logo fly all across the country serving a variety of people, not just school students. Blue Bird buses are regularly used to transport U.S. troops both domestically and abroad. And, the 'Bird hauls prisoners, like the 44 defendants arrested in an FBI sting and charged with participating in a complex, multi-country money laundering scheme.

Who said school busing wasn't recession proof?

California Preparing for 20 Percent Budget Cuts for School Transportation

By Ryan Gray

The Los Angeles Times blogs about "A mixture of worry and measured relief for state school districts" as California legislators have come to a compromise to solve a $26 billion budget shortfall. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenneger earlier this month proposed cuts to school transportation as a means of closing the expenditure gap resulting in a demonstration at the state capitol last week by school bus drivers and teachers. The rally, which included school buses circling the capitol, appeared not to have worked

While the budget was still being written by legislators and no final numbers were available in advance of a scheduled vote on Thursday, state school transportation is expected to be cut for the 2009-2010 school year by 20 percent. And that's not to mention cuts to other programs as the state attempts to keep as much money in the classroom as possible.

As the Times writes, schools have already begun laying off school bus drivers:

In anticipation of proposed cuts, the rural Mojave Unified District gave notice to all 17 of its bus drivers. About two-thirds of the district’s 3,000 students rely on bus service to get to school. District Supt. Larry Phelps said he hoped to salvage some of those jobs as well as some student transportation in a district where more than half the students are from low-income families.

We'll be talking to John Green, the state director of pupil transportation with the California Department of Education, over the weekend at the STN EXPO to get more details on how the environment will shape up.

No Wonder There are So Many Crashes on the Road

By Ryan Gray

Here's a head scratcher for you: last week, the following exchange between two online forum users occurred regarding proposed school bus budget cuts in California by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenneger. It goes to show how motorists misunderstand laws and regulations governing school bus routes, such as the one that requires the driver to stop at every railroad crossing and open the door to ensure a train isn't coming. When one user comments that buses could save an inordinate amount of fuel -- and hence budget money -- by not stopping at the tracks, another user, a person who identifies self as a bus driver, no less, responds that motorists could always drive around the bus if they don't want to wait. Granted, many times humor doesn't come across in online posts, but just consider how literal some people can be. Something to think about the next time you're commenting in an online forum.

Agility Station: Keeping School Bus Drivers in Shape

By Ryan Gray

New laws in several states that require school bus drivers to pass agility tests, and First Student is holding all of its drivers accountable for staying fit. They either pass, or they don't drive.

The State Journal-Register in Springfield, Ill., describes how the test is affecting 350 local First Student employees who have until Nov. 1 to pass their tests or be grounded. One driver is 70 years old and passed, and drivers who don't can retake it as many times as needed. Writes the Journal-Register:

The point is to make sure the drivers have enough strength and endurance to act quickly in emergencies.

Drivers are expected to drag a 125-pound bag the length of a bus in 30 seconds, run up and down bus steps three times within 30 seconds and run from the front to the back of the bus and scoot down to the ground outside in 20 seconds.

But not all are happy with the new requirement. Driver unions are crying foul saying the tests violate civil rights. Some users on a online school bus driving forum call some of the tests "stupid" while others agree that drivers must meet certain basic physical requirement because of the important cargo they drive, the children. Others express frustration about additional requirements being placed on their positions but they still receive the same low pay.

Disturbing Video on Weapons in Schools

Thanks to Peter Lawrence of Fairport Central School District in upstate New York for sharing this one. Anyone who ever wondered why metal detectors are not on school buses (aside from the obvious cost issue) has to ask themselves what's next in terms of weapons.

School Year Calendar Changes and the Impact on Transportation

As the 2009-2010 school year approaches, we have started to see a few major school calendar changes across the states; changes that will most likely have an impact on school transportation schedules, and possibly staffing.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that under new state legislation that takes affect this school year, Georgia schools have the option of moving away from the traditional 180-day school year so long as students are in class the required number of hours per year. For example, the Murray County School System in Chatsworth is moving to a 160-day school year that starts after Labor Day and ends before Memorial Day. The change extends the school day by an hour for elementary school pupils and 30 minutes for older students, equating to an estimated savings of $124,000 in administrative services costs this year.

And in what the Star Bulletin reports is the second major calendar change in three years for Hawaii public schools, the school year will now begin on July 30 and end May 26. The move shortens winter and spring breaks and lengthens summer vacation.

Are there major school calendar changes coming your way? If so, how will this impact your operations and staffing?

North Carolina District to Teachers: Learn How to Drive Yellow

Need more evidence of the strain being put on school budgets? Look no further than a disturbing news item that ran last month in the Daily Herald of Roanoke, N.C.

The district eliminated at least 12 school bus driver positions due to budget constraints and will fill those vacancies with assistant teachers who are already on staff. The teachers were set to receive school bus driver training this summer.

By all accounts, Roanoke Rapids Grading School District is much accomplished and innovative. The school's Web site says that it was the first public school district in the state to offer 12 grades and the first to offer Kindergarten. It's won state and national awards for student achievement and boasts the largest number of National Board Certified teachers of any school district in North Carolina, which by the way can mean a 12 percent pay increase. During the upcoming 2009-2010 school year, it would seem that some of those teachers will be working even harder for their wages after the school board voted to eliminate school bus driver positions.

Doug Miller, RRGSD maintenance director, said the school planned to use money from the state for transportation costs to supplement the teachers' incomes.

“What we’re trying to do is provide enough work for teacher assistants. The state is cutting their funding," Miller told the Daily Herald. "We’re trying to keep them around because of the work they do. It’s because of them that we’ve had such good test scores.”

Here's hoping that the district's student safety statistics don't suffer as a result.

Talking (and Checking) Out Loud During the Post-Trip Inspection

By Peggy Burns

It’s said that some people dream in Technicolor; I think in “yellow.” The result is that I get inspiration about school transportation from strange places.

In the July 2008 “Better Homes and Gardens” magazine, an article entitled “Steer Them Straight” recommends ways to “teach seeing” to teenagers who are new drivers, learning to focus. The article references Dr. Susan Smith Kuczmarski’s recommendation in The Sacred Flight of the Teenager to have teenagers, “Say out loud what you see as you drive, and articulate what you do to drive safely.”

Why not adapt this excellent idea for school bus drivers as they do their post-trip inspections, looking for students who might otherwise be left behind? Tell them to say out loud such observations as “I’m passing row one and see no one on or under the seats. Now I’m passing row two. I’ve searched low under the seats in that row.” And so on.

Yes, it’s more tedious than the ever-changing landscape of the road. But I believe driver trainers and bus drivers can find creative ways to describe row by row, seat by seat explorations, as they search for precious cargo who might otherwise remain hidden.

Peggy Burns is an attorney/consultant with Education Compliance Group, Inc. Peggy can be reached at (888) 604-6141 and by email.

Announcement of Transportation Bill Outline Postponed

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee said a previously planned 2 p.m. ET Web briefing that was to release the blueprint of the reauthorization bill that will be marked up in coming weeks was delayed by a day.

The new session is scheduled for tomorrow at 11 a.m. EDT.

Federal 'Livability Principles' Include Transportation, Community Safety

Today, before the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, the triumvirate of U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan identified the need to increase transportation choices and safe and walkable neighborhoods while announcing an inter-agency "Partnership for Sustainable Communities."

The partnership is designed to help improve access to affordable housing, more transportation options, and lower transportation costs while protecting the environment in communities nationwide. Their testimony came a day before Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN), the chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, was scheduled to release an outline of the upcoming transportation bill reauthorization.

Expected in the reauthorization, which, according to Beltway insiders, the House Ways and Means Committee is not expected to mark up until at least next week but likely after the July 4 recess, are provisions to extend the five-year, $612-million federal Safe Routes to School plan. The school transportation industry will also be eying any detail given on whether or not the federal fuel tax will be increased from its current 18.3 cents per gallon to pump money into the depleted highway trust fund, or if another alternative like a mileage fee might be added. Then there's anxiety over whether or not transit agencies will be thrown life preserver to get around previously passed charter rules and a school bus provision that limits how and when those municipalities can compete with services provided by private bus companies.

The outline is now expected to be released tomorrow at 2 p.m. EDT.

Outline of Transportation Bill to be Released

By Ryan Gray

Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN), the chair of the House Transportation Committee, will be releasing an outline of the transportation reauthorization bill this week. There could be some good news for the school transportation industry.

With a full draft of the bill expected before the July 4 recess, there is speculation that the $612 million federal Safe Routes to School Program will receive a boost in funding. This spring, the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services worked with the Safe Routes to School National Partnership to include verbiage into recommendations filed with House leaders to appropriate 10 percent of Safe Routes infrastructure funds for increasing school bus stop safety.

Proponents have asked for full funding of the program at $17 billion over the next five years, but likely some kind of compromise with House Republicans will pare down that figure considerably. Despite Safe Routes being a pet project of Rep. Oberstar, Republicans sent a letter to President Obama last month that proposed program cuts deigned to help trim the budget, including a line item to eliminate Safe Routes.

Here's a list of programs school districts that have received funding since the Safe Routes program started in 2005 under the SAFETEA-LU. Has your district looked into similar funding opportunities?

The New Concerns that Come with First-Time Seat Belts

Now that the Janesville (Wis.) School District is set to get its first-ever school buses with three-point seat belts in time for the 2009-2010 school year, the Janesville Gazette reports that the school board is trying to hammer out new rules about seat belt use including the number students by grade level who can be assigned to one seat, and when it is safe for the driver to beginning driving.

The current proposed rules in Janesville include: “The driver will not move the bus until all students are seated, buckled and have visually indicated to the driver they are buckled.”

Is your district or fleet receiving buses with seat belts for the first time this coming year? What safety issues and rules-of-use are you grappling with? Have you found successful answers?

Sotomayor's Record on Deciding Legal Cases that Involve School Transportation

Education Week's School Law Blog today published a comprehensive list of legal decisions made by U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. One of her decisions included alleged racism at the school bus stop.

The case centers on a 6-year-old African American boy, whose parents complained of racism after transferring him into a district located in Wallingford, Conn. Shortly after the alleged incidents on the bus or at the bus stop, the child was also transferred from his first grade class into kindergarten. But Sotomayor and another judge ruled that it could neither be proved that the district intentionally discriminate against the boy nor that his demotion to a lower grade was a result of anything other than district discovering that the boy had learning challenges.

Collins Plant Hit By Storm

Collins Bus Corporation's South Hutchinson plant was damaged by what weather experts are calling a "microburst thunderstorm." No one was injured during the storm and the company's production schedule will not be affected. The damage was centralized to roof of the sales offices. Other local businesses affected by the storm include Tyson Foods. A microburst is defined as "a small, very intense downdraft that descends to the ground resulting in a strong wind divergence. Microbursts are capable of producing winds of more than 100 mph causing significant damage."

Eliminating Safe Routes to SchoolProgram an Uphill Battle

Back in 2005, Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN) captained the creation of a federal program to help schools develop and implement safe walking and biking routes to and from school in an effort to curb alarming rates of childhood obesity, reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality. Plus, it made sense from an urban planning standpoint to assist in the creation of more neighborhood schools.

But House Republicans want to eliminate the program to save tax payers $915 million over five years. The proposal was delivered to the White House on Thursday as part of a $375 billion in cuts to national spending. President Obama called for bipartisan proposals in April.

The GOP has long been an opponent of central government programs for states instead favoring local control. The proposal signed by Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio and Minority Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia stopped short of asking for an elimination of the U.S. Department of Education, a major conservative movement dating back to President Ronald Reagan, but the fight to eliminate Safe Routes might just prove to be as contentious.

You see, Oberstar is also the chair of the House Transportation Committee, which is planning the reauthorization of the transportation bill, which is up for vote later this year. And, according to industry insiders, he won't take kindly to an attempt to make his pet project walk the proverbial plank. If anything, some see the Republican proposal as the latest political chess move as the party attempts to prove they are more fiscally conservative than Democrats.

First of all, the proposal came outside of the normal appropriations process, and it resembled more of a list of talking points than substantial policy. It also contained a random assortment of proposed cuts, such as eliminating House bike sharing program for Congressional staff despite not having data on the exact cost of the program.

There is also bipartisan support of Safe Routes. Two weeks ago, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) introduced SB 1156 to amend the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users to reauthorize and improve the safe routes to school program. The bill includes school bus stop safety and is co-sponsored by Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Sen. Bernard Sanders (I-VT).

War of the Rose Bowl?

By Ryan Gray

The Rose Bowl is known as the granddaddy of them all when it comes to college football games, but organizers are now also asserting their power in an attempt to change the current charter rule that usurps a previous agreement with local transit agencies to provide shuttle services to events.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Rep. David Dreier (R-CA) circulated a "Dear Colleague" letter late last month asking other members of Congress to support a legislative change to the current rule, which is included in the transportation bill reauthorization scheduled for later this summer. Accompanying the letter was a request to House Transportation Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) and Ranking Member John Mica (R-FL) suggesting language that according to the National School Transportation Association would significantly change and do much damage to the current charter rule.

While Schiff and Dreier made no mention of school bus charter service, NSTA responded last week by joining other members of the Coalition of Private Passenger Transportation Organizations (COPPTO) in a letter that called upon every member of Congress
"to recognize the unfair advantage federally subsidized public transportation would have if they were allowed to carry out charter service."

PTA in the Music Biz with Release of Inspirational Song for Students, Teachers

Singer CeCe Peniston and the National PTA released a new song today that pays tribute to children and the parents and teachers who nurture them.

"Above Horizons" is available for download, and Peniston was scheduled to perform the song live today at Chicago Public School's O A Thorp Scholastic Academy. It is the first official song PTA has released on it's own label National PTA Recordings.

“I’m definitely happy to be part of an organization that helps children reach their dreams. When I was younger, my parents always dared me to dream and I haven’t stopped. So this is my tribute to the families, teachers and communities who help children reach their dreams through PTA,” said Peniston.

The song is available in three different mixes at a cost of $1 each; all three can be purchased for $2.25. PTA said 50 percent of the proceeds go to schools, churches and other charitable organizations through an affiliation with DownloadFundraiser.com.

New Vehicle Manufacturers Coming to Market?

By Ryan Gray

Despite the ailing economy, there’s chatter around the industry that new school bus manufacturers could be eyeing entry into the market, especially after GM filed for Chapter 11 on Monday.

The industry has already seen the Type A market grow this year, but on the large school bus side, there’s been chatter of late that a market that has shrunk in recent years to three major manufacturers could have a couple of more players.

Sources indicate that there’s something to rumors about at least one new large bus line if not two. There’s been talk about design sketches circulating, albeit it discreetly. Well not too discreetly if we know about it. Of course it’s all “unconfirmed.” But I can tell you that the interested parties have global reach, which these days really doesn’t tell you much. But they remain intriguing “rumors” with the potential to change the face of school transportation, if only by proving there is additional outside interest in investing in an industry hit hard by shrinking state and local budgets.

Competition is a good thing, as a new manufacturer or two could further drive innovation (more alt fuels, anyone?) while lowering purchase prices in a time when commodity prices ride the yo-yo and fuel is quickly approaching $3 per gallon (again). Then, there is the fact that Ford has announced it is foregoing diesel for gasoline, while GM is remaining entrenched with diesel. And the business of Monday with GM's bankruptcy.

Stay tuned as it could prove to be an interesting summer.

Why Transportation Must be Wary of Virtual Schooling for K-12

By Ryan Gray

For several decades now, online courses have been a resource for adult continuing education. But virtual schools are also gaining steam in public childhood education, and student transporters best become familiar with how such services can affect their operations.

I first grew interested in this trend a couple years ago as virtual field trip providers entered the education scene as an alternative to expensive, traditional student visits to museums and the such. My initial reaction was how sad it was that some students now were being deprived of my favorite part of school growing up. But the ramifications go far beyond escaping the classroom for several hours and the hands-on learning that can result. In speaking with one transportation software provider, I asked if these virtual field trip companies are in fact becoming a new competitor?

While you won't hear many industry vendors officially say so, the general feeling is that the growth of virtual school programs ... and now classes ... is something the industry must closely monitor, especially in light of a growing movement aimed at protecting school transportation as we know it. Then, just last week, the University of Florida released a study that said virtual schools can increase student learning while also driving down skyrocketing school costs, such as transportation. Look for more on this topic in our July magazine issue.

Surprisingly, many school transporters we talked to for our editorial coverage said they don't see a correlation between transportation and online learning. That disconnect could spell very big problems for an industry that's fighting for its life amid the current economy and state budget crises nationwide.

Could Maryland School Busing be that Good?

The Washington Post ran an article today, picked up by MSNBC.com, that tells of an 18-year old high school senior who has never missed a day of school. Stefanie Zaner is known as the Iron Kid of Darnestown, a suburb of Baltimore where Cal Ripken Jr. set the Major League Baseball record for consecutive games played at 2,632.

Zaner, the article says, is approaching the likewise amazing milestone of 2,340 straight days of public school. She attends Northwest High School in Montgomery County. There must be something in the Maryland water. In addition to Ripken Jr.'s and Zaner's feats, the Post conducted an informal survey of 20 local school systems that turned up another graduating senior with perfect attendance since kindergarten (officially, 180 days a year, for 13 years, although the exact annual total hinges on snow days): Kristen Waddle, 18, of Brentsville District High School in Prince William County. Austin White of Mountain View High School in Stafford County hasn't missed a day since first grade.

It was not immediately known if the students had ever utilized school busing, but it appeared likely at some point they may have utilized the transportation service. The most recent data obtained from the Maryland Department of Education that 73 percent of the state's nearly 850,000 public school students take the yellow bus.

Emergency Preparedness Takes Center Stage

President Obama proclaimed May 24-May 30 as National Hurricane Preparedness Week. He called upon government agencies, private organizations, media, community groups, schools, and residents of hurricane-prone areas to share information about hurricane preparedness and response to help protect communities and save lives. Hurricane Katrina taught lessons to all of these entities on the importance of disaster plans and collaboration and communication.

“Awareness and preparation are critical to surviving and recovering from hurricanes. During National Hurricane Preparedness Week, I call on all Americans -- including private citizens and those working in government, business, and the nonprofit sector -- to plan ahead and help secure the safety and property of those who face advancing storms,” said President Obama in a written proclamation.

Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré (Ret.) is scheduled to address STN EXPO attendees on this very topic during a keynote speech on July 27 during a breakfast sponsored by Blue Bird Corporation and Allison Transmission. Read our May 2009 article on him, his experiences with Hurricane Katrina and his keynote speech this summer.

Moving Towards an Electirc Bus at Thomas?

Daimler AG, a parent company of Thomas Built Buses, has purchased a 10 percent stake in electric vehicle company Tesla Motors, according to a press release. The companies said they will cooperate on battery drive systems, electric drive systems and vehicle projects. Could this put Thomas closer to an all-electric school bus? The company is already working on a hybrid Saf-T-Liner C2. According to the release, Daimler and Tesla were already working together to integrate Tesla's lithium-ion battery packs and chargers into Daimler's electric smart car. The release goes on to note that Daimler just founded the Deutsche Accumotive GmbH, a joint venture with Evonik Industries AG, which makes the company "the first vehicle manufacturer worldwide that develops, produces and markets batteries for automotive applications."

They'll Remember You. Will You Remember Them?

Four in ten adults remember their school bus driver's name, according to a survey from First Student cited in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The survey continued:

When asked to share their most memorable experiences on a school bus, most survey respondents recalled having fun and riding the bus with friends. Many surveyed still remember riding the bus on their first day of school. Other fond memories included singing favorite songs, a bumpy ride in the back of the bus, budding romances, field trips and receiving special holiday and end-of-year treats from bus drivers.

The journalist remembers her own driver and the not-so-kind nickname she had for her. ("How could we be so cruel?" she now wonders). At this writing, 23 had left memories of their drivers on the newspaper's comment section. Most of them are incredibly kind.

How well do you remember your bus driver? How do you want your riders to remember you? We only hope it's not as "Cakeface."

Shaken, Not Stirred

This morning STN is shaken, but not stirred after a small earthquake near our offices last night. We came in to a few pictures askew, a couple things knocked over and an email with a great PowerPoint from Dick Fischer. Download this and take a look at how unsafe a bus with too much junk can be. It's a pretty much a worst-case scenario, but it's good to think about how you pack your bus on athletic and extracurricular trips. All those loose extras can become projectiles in a crash or even sudden, hard braking.

Tips for packing the bus? Share them here.

Have you seen worse? Email david@stnonline.com with your photos and we'll publish your pictures (anonymously, of course).

Tornadeo Warnings: You Be the Judge?

Guest blogger Cheri Clymer shares these thoughts on tornado warnings on some of the confusing advice on what to do. Take a read and consider how pupil transporters can best prepare for this emergency.

What is a tornado warning? A tornado warning means that a tornado has been spotted, or that Doppler radar indicates a thunderstorm circulation which can spawn a tornado. When a tornado warning is issued for your town or county, take immediate safety precautions. Local NWS offices issue tornado warnings.

When a tornado warning is issued, transportation personnel look to the prominent weather service professionals for advice and response. Recently, there has been a change of procedures in tornado warning response issued by the American Red Cross. Following are suggested responses to tornado warnings issued by the National Weather Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the American Red Cross.

National Weather Service:

• In a car or truck: Vehicles are extremely dangerous in a tornado. If the tornado is visible, far away, and the traffic is light, you may be able to drive out of its path by moving at right angles to the tornado. Otherwise, park the car as quickly and safely as possible -- out of the traffic lanes. [It is safer to get the car out of mud later if necessary than to cause a crash.] Get out and seek shelter in a sturdy building. If in the open country, run to low ground away from any cars (which may roll over on you). Lie flat and face-down, protecting the back of your head with your arms. Avoid seeking shelter under bridges, which can create deadly traffic hazards while offering little protection against flying debris.

Federal Emergency Management Agency:

• Get out immediately and go to the lowest floor of a sturdy, nearby building or a storm shelter. Mobile homes, even if tied down, offer little protection from tornadoes.

What if you are outside with no shelter? Lie flat in a nearby ditch or depression and cover your head with your hands. Be aware of the potential for flooding. Do not get under an overpass or bridge. You are safer in a low, flat location.

Never try to outrun a tornado in urban or congested areas in a car or truck. Instead, leave the vehicle immediately for safe shelter.

Red Cross:

• If you are inside, go to the safe place you picked to protect yourself from glass and other flying objects. The tornado may be approaching your area.
• If you are caught outdoors, seek shelter in a basement, shelter, or sturdy building. If you cannot get to shelter, a recent study* suggests doing the following:
• Get into a vehicle, buckle your seat belt, and try to drive at right angles to the storm movement and out of the path.
• If strong winds and flying debris occur while you are driving, pull over and park, keeping seat belts on and the engine running. Put your head down below the windows, covering with your hands and a blanket if possible.
• If you are unable to get to a building or vehicle, as a last resort, lie in a ditch or depression and cover your head with your hands.
  

The emergency agencies follow similar response to tornados. Each suggests driving at right angles to the tornado, if possible. If you cannot continue driving, the next suggested response by the NWS and FEMA is to leave your vehicle immediately and seek shelter in a building or if outside, in a low lying area such as a ditch. The American Red Cross suggests seeking shelter in a building as well. However, their recommendation, if you cannot get to a shelter, is to stay with the vehicle, seat belted in with engine running and ride out the storm. They suggest lying in a ditch or depression as a last resort.

As you can see, there is a definite area of discrepancy. This is an extremely important issue, one that requires research on the part of the transportation professional. Should you be the judge? What is the correct response?

Must Read: A Tough Assignment in Boston

The Boston Globe offers this editorial on changes to Boston's well known busing system. Dismantling the school's attendance zones and assembling a more neighborhood-based system could save $10 million per year in transportation costs. The paper calls the move "a leap of faith" but "still a leap forward."

No education takes place during expensive, enervating bus rides across the city. The hours spent onboard actually undermine one of Mayor Menino's best initiatives: linking the offerings of neighborhood schools, libraries, and community centers into enrichment zones available within easy reach from morning until late afternoon or evening. Johnson also wants to add intramural athletics at the city's middle schools to the mix. A good library program or flag football game beats a bus ride any day.

The paper questions how prepared Superintendent Carol Johnson is for bringing equity to schools that will be largely minority and disproportionately underperforming. Will she ask the employees for the same sacrifices she is asking of families?

What the paper does not ask and what we as an industry will have to ask is what sacrfice is she asking from pupil transporters? According the paper, there are more than 700 buses in a $76 million operation that's expected to cost $99 million by 2015. As the paper points out, that's no small ammount. But reform means change. What is this going to do for the 700 people behind the wheels and the staffs and leaders that support them? What would it mean to us if schools around the country decided to focus on more neighborhood-based schools?

In past issues we've looked at what changes to desegregation systems mean for school transportation. So far, there is no consensus on what these kinds of changes mean for transportation or even how best they can be done. But we must ask ourselves these questions now instead of scrambling for answers when school board decisions arive at the garage.

Take a look at the editorial and take a look at our op-ed. Remember, busing like isn't just a "forced" black and white issue these days. There are racial systems, socioeconomic systems, hybrid systems, voluntary systems and even systems based entirely on student choice. If busing like this in your district, consider what changes like these mean for you. Share your thoughts and your experiences here.

'Twas in Another Lifetime...

... couldn't resist a little Dylan this morning after seeing this series of photos of interesting bus shelters from around the world. Shelters range from the school bus bus stop (Athens, Ga.) to swing set bus stops in London and indoor air-conditioned bus stops in Dubai.

Also this morning, Bus No. 6 looks forward to June Bug season.

Just for fun (and to make sure I'm doing my share in thinning the June bug herd so they'll never rise up en masse to take over our world) I decided to see how many June bugs splatter on my windshield in a week's time, and how long I could drive without cleaning any of them off. Not only that, but I wanted to see who would notice my disgusting windshield first -- students, a teacher, or Eduardo our transportation guy.

Today's highlight from the Nation's Press: School Bus Driver's Say They're Not to Blame for Recent Problems

Arne Duncan vs. the Blob

The Economist has a broad, if not particularly deep, profile of Education Secretary Arne Duncan that's well worth reading for anyone interested in the big picture of the future of American public schools. Duncan comes off as extraordinarily well liked, capable and fixed to make major reforms in education. At the same time, the magazine opines that the former pro-ball player has no sure slam dunk:

But the bigger reason to be pessimistic about Mr Duncan is that the education establishment has an astonishing record of neutralising reform-minded politicians. Entrenched vested interests and a decentralised system—with much of the day-to-day decision-making controlled by 16,000 school districts—combine to squash most promises of improvement. The mighty teachers’ unions regularly welcome reforms in theory while destroying them in practice. Bill Bennett, Ronald Reagan’s education secretary, perfectly described this slippery bunch as “the blob”.

The battle between Mr Duncan and the blob is a crucial one. The result of the battle will determine, first, whether it is worth continuing with moderate education reforms—for if these reforms cannot succeed with $100 billion and a golden boy at the helm, they never will. It will also determine whether Mr Obama can deliver on his promise to build the American economy on the rock of well-educated and productive workers rather than the sand of financial speculation. A pity that, however many battles it loses, the blob always seems to win the long war.

When Duncan was first nominated, we ran our own snapshot of Duncan and school transportation. As CEO of Chicago Public Schools, Duncan appeared to have experience with busing systems and recognized their value. At the same time, he resisted a No Child Left Behind requirement that would have demanded more cross-town transfers, saying:

"I am not for putting money into yellow school buses when I can put it into teaching and learning ... I am not going to overburden schools that are improving. Where the law does not make sense, I am not going to do anything to jeopardize the progress we are making."

Ed. Says Keep Schools Open

The U.S. Department of Education is telling schools they don't need to shut down to stop swine flu, the AP is reporting.

The Center for Disease Control had advised schools to close for as many as 14 days if there was a suspected case in their school. According to Ed., 726 public and nonpublic schools were closed for flu-related reasons in 24 states and the District of Columbia. Some schools are saying they will use emergency days to make up any time lost and, if necessary, make up days at the end of the year.

Last week, we looked at some of those in Texas, including one that started disinfecting its buses as a precaution. Others seem to be doing the same. Now, officials are saying the flu is milder than expected and the best precaution is keeping sick kids home. This week in our online poll, we ask 'What's your operation doing?' Share your experiences in detail by clicking 'Comments' below.

If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, a local news station has some good resources about what's going on there. If you're elsewhere in the country and you've found good resources, please share them in the comments section. Be sure to include where you are writing from.