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.