Rachel Lane joined Student Transportation of America in 2022 and has since been instrumental in driving the company’s green fleet initiative.
Lane, the school bus contractor’s vice president of electrification and sustainability, earned her degree in electrical engineering from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. Soon after, she joined the U.S. Air Force to follow in her family’s military tradition, serving as a chief engineer and flight commander.
During this time, she designed essential communication networks and supported special operation missions in South America and the Middle East. She focused on implementing tactical communications, satellite links and air traffic control systems at various air force bases, as well as leading and motivating over 150 enlisted troops and junior officers.
Rachel Lane, vice president of electrification and sustainability for Student Transportation of America.
Lane entered civilian life in 2004 and joined defense contractor Northrop Grumman. For over five years, she worked in various roles such as a field service engineer, deputy program manager and systems engineer, and a systems test and integration lead.
She went on to work with several other companies. Prior to joining STA, she worked for electric utility PSEG Long Island in New York, where she served as a project manager for large capital construction projects.
Her LinkedIn profile states she was responsible for the performance and operations of PSEGLI’s Electric Vehicle Program and supporting New York’s nation-leading greenhouse gas reduction goals by increasing EV adoption on Long Island from 20,000 vehicles in 2021 to 178,000 vehicles this year.
“I animated the EV charging infrastructure on [Long Island], partnering with developers and internal teams, by managing the program to fund customer-side infrastructure costs and execute the utility-side build-out to the charging station,” she told School Transportation News in March for Women’s History Month. “I also improved system efficiency by managing our customer programs to encourage installation of residential chargers and charging during off-peak hours and presenting data detailing EV impacts on the electric grid.”
In September 2022, STA hired Lane for her current role.
“It was a great opportunity for several reasons, and I’ve been here for about two and half years,” she said. “Since joining the company, my scope has expanded as we’ve added more electric buses to our fleet. I’ve also taken on our carbon accounting program and other efforts to encourage sustainable practices across the business.”
Lane shared that her day-to-day responsibilities vary. From working with sites on a new electric school bus delivery to answering questions to troubleshooting an issue.
“I work with our sites and infrastructure partner on progressing construction at our locations installing chargers,” she said. “I also work with our grant team to apply for new funding or follow up on compliance items, or I could be working with our bus OEM partners on a training item or a new feature that’s coming down the line. I also have my hand in anything that has a marketing or advocacy aspect for electrification.”
However, serving in a variety of different roles is her favorite part of the job.
“The days are never dull, especially with electrification being a relatively new space for the industry,” Lane said. “And I work with great colleagues. The team at STA has been outstanding in providing me the background on transportation operations, while allowing me to bring my contributions.”
Lane noted that something she’s most proud of is when drivers at a location come to love their electric school buses. She said that sometimes a location can be hesitant to make the change to EVs, but STA has learned so much from each delivery and continues to improve the process.
“My advice is the same to both men and women. Ask a lot of questions,” she said. “But also share your perspective, too. Don’t be afraid to make a change. You might have to take a lateral move to get more skills or go to a new company to get that promotion. Know your boundaries and what you and your family can—and cannot accept—for your work and your life in relation to your work. You have to advocate for yourself.”
Lane concluded by sharing she’s proud to be part of an industry that provides essential service for the nation’s children and families.
“Getting students to school safety and reliably is a mission that resonates with everyone,” she said.
School bus driver Pat King received the “Frontline Hero Award” from Durham School Services for saving a colleague.
King, a Durham School Services employee who drives routes for Duval County Schools in Jacksonville, Florida, preformed life-saving CPR for 20 minutes on a school bus monitor when they experienced a sudden medical emergency on Feb. 10. She reportedly continued performing CPR until medical staff arrived, ultimately saving the life of her co-worker.
Frontline Hero Award
A spokesperson for National Express explained the Frontline Hero Award. “Frontline Hero Award is presented to individuals who have demonstrated exceptional courage, dedication and selflessness in the face of adversity. It honors those who go above and beyond to make a significant impact on the lives of others, whether through acts of bravery, leadership in times of crisis, or consistent efforts to inspire positive change within our organization. Further, this award serves as a reminder that heroes come in many forms, whether through quiet, everyday acts of kindness or extraordinary feats of bravery.”
“That’s the first thing I saw, it was that dummy that we have to do the training on,” recalled King in a statement. “Her chest wasn’t moving. I listened for her heartbeat and heard nothing. She’s my friend, you know. She wasn’t breathing. I had to do something. I couldn’t just let her lay there.”
Durham explained that its school bus drivers are required to participate in various safety training, and team members must be certified in CPR every two years. Florida requires school bus drivers to take courses that result five safety certifications: CPR/first aid, identifying and reporting child abuse, seizure training, human trafficking training, and the Florida Mandated Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect course.
“We are glad Pat is getting the recognition she very much deserves. She is a hero, and we were extremely proud to present her with an award and witness her gain further recognition from the community for her life-saving actions,” said Brad Kerrigan, area general manager for Durham School Services. “Instances like these prove the importance and need for safety trainings such as CPR/First Aid and further demonstrates our company’s commitment to safety.”
CONCORD, N.C. — Taking place at the famous Charlotte Motor Speedway, the Bus Technology Summit and Green Bus Summit Technology Demonstration and Ride & Drive Experience showcased the latest advancements in green school buses and transportation solutions on March 23, 2025 during STN EXPO East.
Attendees were treated to a hands-on experience with various transportation technology demonstrations and green buses, including electric, propane and other alternative fuel vehicles. School transportation professionals were able to ride the latest models and learn about their features while driving around the Charlotte Motor Speedway track.
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Attendees at the 2025 STN EXPO East in Charlotte, North Carolina were invited to attend a unique ride and drive experience at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. (Photo by Vincent Rios Creative.)
Attendees at the 2025 STN EXPO East in Charlotte, North Carolina were invited to attend a unique ride and drive experience at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. (Photo by Vincent Rios Creative.)
CONCORD, N.C. — STN EXPO East in North Carolina wrapped up with a Trade Show featuring vendors from technology companies to OEMs to alternative transportation providers and more.
The night ended with a reception featuring food and drinks with a theme fitting for the postseason college basketball tournaments. Vendors and attendees were encouraged to show team pride by wearing their favorite basketball jerseys, team colors, or sporty chic attire.
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A 2025 STN EXPO East attendeee hits her shot at the Trade Show on March 24, 2025. (Photo by Vincent Rios Creative.)
A 2025 STN EXPO East attendeee hits her shot at the Trade Show on March 24, 2025. (Photo by Vincent Rios Creative.)
CONCORD, N.C. — There are three ways a person can transition themselves into a top performer: Win the mental game, own the day, and adapt and thrive.
That was the message author and trainer Scott Welle provided to attendees with his keynote address on the penultimate day of STN EXPO East and its inaugural year hosted in North Carolina.
Win the Mental Game
Welle said the average person has 50,000 thoughts a day, 80 percent of which are negative. But starting with a negative belief translates to thoughts, behaviors and results.
He shared that his brother has always been extremely smart, and growing up the speaker developed a belief that he would never be as smart as his brother. Welle said he felt demotivated, which led him not applying himself to his schoolwork. That resulting in Welle being an average. Receiving C grades, he added, furthered his belief that he was not smart.
That was until one day in college, when he decided he was going to apply himself.
“I remember waking up one day [thinking], ‘You’re paying a lot of money to be average,’” he recalled. “… It got the spiral going back in the other direction.”
Welle eventually got a master’s degree in sports psychology.
He said without his realization, he would have never had the courage to start his own business, write books and be standing in front of STN EXPO attendees Thursday morning at the Embassy Suites Charlotte-Concord convention center. He asked attendees to think about the belief system their operation under and the story that they’re telling themselves.
Having better thoughts, gives better feelings, which leads to better results.
Out-performers are intentional, Welle commented. That not just with what they need to do every day, but how they want to show up to everything they do, every day.
“What one word/phrase describes how you want to show up on the field that represents the best version of you?” he asked attendees.
Todd Silverthorn, transportation supervisor with Kettering City Schools in Ohio, said he wants to come into any situation “full force” and be his authentic self. Being vulnerable in certain situations shows leadership, he said.
The audience shared several suggestions to be a strong leader: Make it fun, be solid, stay above the line, be positive, and stay present.
Welle said it’s important to show how you want to be perceived because that represents the best version of you. He added that defining what one actually does for a job or in life, in the very deepest meaning, rather than what they say they do provides connection on a greater level.
For example, school transportation employees don’t just drive or route school buses, they provide access to transportation. Remind yourself of your purpose, when days are longest and arduous, and when having unpleasant parent conversations, he advised.
A graphic demonstrates the importance of describing the impact of a person’s job responsibilities goes far beyond a simple title.
Own The Day
The next piece of advice Welle provided was owning the day before the day owns you. He said the hardest part of the day is getting something started. He provided ways to own the day, such as being grateful, challenging oneself, focusing and organizing, self-care, and exercise.
He asked attendees to turn toward to their neighbor and share one thing that they’re grateful for. Many shared they’re grateful for family, career, health, and to be at STN EXPO. He said the human brain can’t have simultaneous competing thoughts, meaning one can’t be grateful and also negative, jealous or angry.
Welle said changing one’s mindset to think about what’s good doesn’t allow them to reflect on the bad, or what is lacking. One attendee shared she lost her two parents, a step-parent) and her two brothers within a seven-year span. That resulted in her being grateful for her life. She said she couldn’t let herself fall into depression but instead had to fight through the pain and keep going.
The attendee said when she says good morning, she means it, because it’s another day she wakes up alive.
“A lot of kids don’t hear good morning from their parents,” she said of the importance of sharing joy with students. “We have to remember who we are servicing.We have to be resilient.”
Welle also lost both of his parents in the before his 38th birthday. He added that there were days he couldn’t get out of bed. But he, too, had to focus on being grateful and carrying on his family legacy through the lessons his parents taught him.
The road construction in life is the barriers and distractions that are blocking you from focusing on the things that matter and that you can control, Welle added. To be in control, one needs to automate, delegate and eliminate.
“Outperformers think strategically on how to clear the path to make it simpler to have success,” he said.
“Shift happens,” Welle said. “We have to be able to respond to it. How do we adapt and thrive, when, not if? Change happens, stress happens, uncertainty happens.”
He said the people who experience the most hardships, suffering and adversity become the most resilient. He said people all know they need to get back up, but they want to have to get knocked down first.
He asked attendees to recall a difficult time in their life when they couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. He said to use that experience as a reference point, as it taught resilience, strength and internal dialogue.
“If I got through that, I can get through this,” he said, adding that outperformers use their experiences to show what they’re capable of. “Don’t discount the tough stuff that you’ve been through in your life.”
However, Welle said, no one outperforms without the support of others. He recalled running a 100-mile ultramarathon. There was a point he wanted to quit, but his friends pushed him to keep going.
“As you think about adapting and thriving in your life, choose the people you surround yourself with wisely,” he said. “People that don’t just love and support you, but who will also call you out and tell you what you don’t want to hear but what you need to hear.”
He said it’s the small wins that stack up over time that lead to massive movements and massive outcomes. He said it’s not about getting to the top of the ladder, but just to next rung. What is the next milestone, benchmark, small win?
Becoming an out-performer happens one step at a time.
“The main thing is, [Welle] made me realize who I am as a person, that I don’t give myself credit, that I have a lot on my plate, but I do a good job with it,” Paul Johnson, transportation manager for Wicomico County Public Schools in Maryland told School Transportation News following the session. “It motivates me to go further.”
Johnson said he related to Welle. All through his life, he said he felt that he was the average person. He added that he believes he has other levels to achieve and wants to show his drivers, associations and specialists that they, too, can reach another level.
CONCORD, N.C. — More questions than answers currently exist on what the funding future of clean school buses will look like, following program cuts, elimination of EV mandates, and executive orders from the Trump administration.
Joe Annotti, the vice president of incentives for TRC Clean Transportation Solutions, attempted to provide some clarity in “an era of deregulation” on Sunday during STN EXPO East in Charlotte. He noted that despite the belief stated by media that President Donald Trump is making unprecedented changes and reevaluations of agencies and programs, the actions are normal. Annotti relayed that presidents come in all the time, stop and relook at programs, before funds get flowing again.
He referenced 2005, when former President Goerge Bush altered federal grant structures to states by moving to “blocks,” and when former President Barack Obama immediately cut 5 percent of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) operating budget.
What is unprecedented, however, is the amount of funding being allocated to school buses, primarily clean school buses. That, by way of the Clean School Bus Program, is now in peril.
Meanwhile, Annotti said there are currently over 700 clean transportation state and local incentive programs. Of those, 124 could fund school bus projects, whereas 26 prioritize or exclusively fund school bus projects. He said $3 billion is available from the combined 124 programs, yet more than half of that ($1.8 billion) funds the 26 school bus eligible programs.
In his opinion, he said those 26 programs are the ones on the Trump administration’s chopping block.
“Gone are the days for the flat rate voucher incentives,” he said, adding there’s a renewed focus on cost-effectiveness. Federal programs covering 80 percent of the cost of the bus is probably a thing of the past.
Of the 124 programs that could fund school buses, 25 are exclusive to battery-electric and 50 of them are located in California, he added.
He discussed expectations, such as federal agencies may terminate award programs that no longer effectuate goals or agency priorities. He noted that multiple grant programs across agencies are cancelled or modified or modified.
Annotti answered attendee questions and said that in terms of the EPA Clean School Bus Program funding, rounds 3 and 4 are where he sees disruptions. Round 1, he said, is done. Round 2 awards were issued, and most are under a contractual agreement, which he said leads him to believe they are safe.
Round 3 has not yet been awarded, and the EPA has not yet issued funding decisions, which may never happen, he noted. He said Round 4, which was supposed to be announced later this year or early next, is not on his funding calendar at all.
He clarified that if the program is cut, projects would be funded up until the day that announcement is made. Any purchases made prior to a decision would still be funded.
As for the possibility of manufacturers raising their school bus prices due to the impending Trump tariffs, he said the EPA won’t allocate more award funds than called for in the original contract agreement.
Annotti advised attendees to assess what stage in the federal reward process they are in, whether they’ve actually won award, if they’ve spent federal money, or they’re in the process of purchasing. He advised fleets to act cautiously, as money is not guaranteed, adding that when writing grants fleets need to recognize the changed priorities and tailor their message to the audience.
“Change your tune when asking for funding,” he said, noting that attendees need to consider how their proposed project is benefiting the EPA’s latest priorities. “Match with what they need to hear, not what you want to say.”
He said current unpopular topics with the feds include: Regulations, DEI/community engagement, and renewable energy. Popular topics include: Tariffs, deregulation, economic development and fossil fuels.
TRC is hosting the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo next month in Anaheim, California. School Transportation News is an official media sponsor of the event.
CONCORD, N.C. – A mock casualty drill teaches school bus drivers how to evacuate children quickly and first responders how to access a school bus that’s been involved in an incident.
Developing such exercises with local first responders help a transportation operation become proactive, if an emergency event were to occur. While student transporters can’t prepare for everything, transportation directors and a fire chief discussed the importance of involving all stakeholders when administering such an event during a panel discussion at STN EXPO East on Saturday.
Paul Hasenmeier, chief and public safety director with Hernando County Fire Rescue in Florida, presented prior to the panel discussion about how emergency responders mitigate challenges and prepare for emergencies. Hasenmeier shared case studies and provided examples of where emergency responders would cut the school bus to rescue trapped children or school bus drivers.
In an interactive panel discussion, Katrina Morris, transportation director for West Shore ESD and the president of the Michigan Association of Pupil Transportation, explained that she rolled a bus on its side and the fire department cut through it at precise locations. They also set a school bus on fire, which surprised first responders as they didn’t believe the bus would burn as quickly as it did.
Peggy Stone, the transportation director for Lincoln County Schools in West Virginia, added that her staff also flipped a school bus on its side. She said because the district is very rural and firefighters are volunteers, she knows the response time will be long if an incident was to occur. Stone added that the event was a school bus driver’s idea.
She added that driver and student volunteers portrayed injured patients needing assistance.
Stone added that once a year Lincoln County fogs a bus and holds a driver competition to determine who can save the children, life-sized dolls, the fastest. She advised when considing a mock drill to start small like fogging a school bus with hidden training dolls inside.
Casualty Training for Students with Special Needs
Morris, whose operation serves primarily students with special needs at several member school districts, said that even if an emergency drill can’t be performed with every student, the process should be documented.
She also advised inviting law enforcement officers, firefighters and EMS visit schools to speak with students, especially those with disabilities so they become familiar with the emergency vehicles and personnel.
Attendee Beth Allison, safety and training instructor for Prince William County Public Schools in Virginia, said she was driving a school bus when a student had a seizure. Because she wasn’t the normal driver on that route, she said she didn’t have training on what to do and relied solely on her instincts.
“If we don’t prepare for something we don’t want to talk about, when it happens it’s going to be chaos,” said Hasenmeier, who moderated the panel.
He advised setting up a time with first responders to sit on the school bus for a route with students with special needs to get a better idea of behaviors.
Another attendee shared that a parent told their child to never exit the school bus unless they had arrived at home or school. That presented a challenge when the school bus broke down on route, and the child wouldn’t leave.
Morris said emergency training can be challenging and advised giving students jobs so they can help in a situation.
Other considerations when creating casualties are language barriers and the fact that most students have cell phones and can call their parents at any moment. Morris said she utilizes some law enforcement officers and school administrators who are bilingual to help communicate, but a language barrier wasn’t covered in the mock drill.
Meanwhile, another attendee shared that after a crash, parents arrived on scene and picked their children up before the district and first responders arrived. He asked the attendees how to communicate the plan with parents.
Morris said she set up specific communications district-wide. She said the announcement will indicate that an incident occurred, and an updated will be provided in 15 minutes, “but don’t go to the scene.”
She added it’s important to train drivers to not release children directly to their parents.
Stone noted that her district requires children to be signed out.
Stone said all agencies met following the mock drill and discussed lessons learned, such as school drivers who are on the radio too much and need to keep channels clear for emergencies.
Morris added that besides the school bus drill, her staff held another drill consisting of a school evacuation, where they ran into a couple of glitches.
“We don’t look at them as failures, but instead opportunities on where we can improve,” she said.
Tips & Tricks
Stone discussed the importance of inviting the media to attend the mock casualty drill. She underlined the importance of building a relationship with the media, so that when things do go wrong, they call before publishing or airing one-side of the story. She added it’s important to inform the parents as well, so that they don’t panic when they see an overturned bus on the side of the road.
Attendee Allison added that first responders didn’t know her school district had electric school buses in the county for nearly two years. Now that they have propane school buses, she said it’s important to make them aware so they can be better prepared.
Hasenmeier said the responsibility of producing mock drills should not fall fully on the school district. Instead, he said that first responders want to be involved. He advised having someone at the drill taking notes and documenting with pictures so that the event can be reviewed with participants and the training can be shared with others.
“Use it to help you gain credibility to the community,” he said.
Morris added that her event was also a morale booster because it was training specifically designed for the school bus drivers. She said it strengthened the bond the drivers have.
CONCORD, N.C. — According to a 2023 study by the U.S. Justice Department and Education Department, 22 percent of K-12 students were involved in a physical fight and 13 percent of students carried a weapon to school. More school shooters are also getting to school via the school bus.
Seven percent of students were threatened with a weapon and 5 percent of students are afraid of being attacked, the study found.
Over the past five to six years, Bret Brooks, the chief operating officer and senior consultant of Gray Ram Tactical, noted that school violence is trending up, due in part to COVID-19. Because of this increase, he said during his March 21 opening general session presentation at STN EXPO East, schools “should emphasize intervention techniques to address underlying causes of student violence.”
He stressed the need for a broad set of tools to be tailored to each school and that all staff should undergo training provided by quality and professional trainers.
Breaking Down the Seven Triggers:
Family: When you threaten family, one could naturally respond violently, said Brooks. This response includes extended family and even a community or nation.
Order: Brooks said this refers to the social order of things, such as when someone cuts in line.
Restraint: This is the feeling of being held back or stopped. As a law enforcement professional, Brooks said the most dangerous time when apprehending a suspect is the moment handcuffs are about to put on.
Resources: Food and water are among basic human necessities.
Mate: Similar to family but a separate trigger, according to Brooks. When someone takes a spouse, the response is usually very violent, he said.
Insults: Intentional or unintentional.
Life or Limb: Danger to one’s livelihood or that of a bystander. This is why there are self-defense laws, Brooks noted.
Brooks broke down the influence and triggers of violence to stop the acts from occurring and how to de-escalate incidents with students. He explained that anyone can respond violently in certain situations situation. He noted the example of an abduction of a child.
Brooks noted that violence is a biological process that occurs in the brain. How to mentally deal with a situation differs from person to person. Violence is a response to stress, fear and losing control or feeling mistreated. It is a fiery rage as a response mechanism.
He explained that school-aged children are experiencing greater underlying stressors today compared to years past due to factors such as online bullying, social networks and the pressure to be as “good” as Mom or Dad.
Brooks said if any of the seven triggers (see sidebar) are felt, the more triggers felt at once will determine how violent one will be become. “Underlying stress compounds the emotional stress and even more increases the likelihood the person will lash out,” he said, adding that underlying stress can be the death of a pet, a sick loved one, etc.
Violence in Children
Brooks noted that students are being exposed to more violence. “[By] 18 years old, the average American child will have seen 16,000 murders and 200,000 acts of violence depicted in violent movies, television and video games.” he shared.
Video games often offer rewards for killing other players, and desensitize players to real-life violence, he explained.
Video games like virtual reality, he added, provide controllers that require the user to mimic the actions of using certain weapons, i.e., learning how to stab, slash and shoot.
He added that society has lost the causal relationship to justifiable violence, noting that when ordering chicken nuggets, for example, no one is thinking of someone killing the chicken to make the meal.
Moving Forward
Brooks said students riding the school bus who feel confined or uncomfortable, hot, unable to use Wi-Fi or listen to music can be prone to violent outbursts. He advised attendees to keep this in mind amid school bus driver shortages and increased numbers of students per bus and route.
He said violence is never going to end, especially without social changes. The trend of more deaths will continue.
“It is imperative we can identify warning signs ahead of time and then mitigate or avoid violence,” Brooks said, adding that school districts should implement a layered system of protection.
He underscored the importance of proper training and how critical it is for school bus drivers to be trained on indicators of violence, de-escalation techniques, concealed weapon identification, active shooter/intruder/hijacking response, and medical response.
Amanda Davila was sentenced to three years in prison for the death of 6-year-old Fajr Williams, who fatally choked on a Somerset County, New Jersey school bus while wearing an improperly secured safety harness.
Davila faced up to 20 years in prison for the charges of aggravated and reckless manslaughter. Instead, a jury found her guilty of child endangerment on Jan. 13. On March 7, a judge sentenced her to three years in prison.
Davila, who was 27 at the time of the Julu 17, 2023 incident, testified in her own defense during the trial and claimed she was at fault but only partially. The defense argued that a family member of Williams improperly buckled her into her wheelchair that day. Davila also reportedly testified during the trial that she wasn’t trained properly on wheelchair securement and made a mistake. However, the school bus contractor she worked for provided monthly training sessions.
Davila’s lawyer said she shared responsibility with the family, who should have ensured the young girl was secured properly. Davila was the assigned bus monitor to Williams, who had Emanuel syndrome, was non-verbal and in a wheelchair. She was being transported to an extended school year program at Claremont Elementary School in Franklin Park New Jersey.
As School Transportation News reported at the time, Williams was strangled by her wheelchair’s harness on the bus ride. The student reportedly slumped forward in her wheelchair after a series of bumps. She was wearing a 4-point harness that secured her to the wheelchair, but ultimately became too tight around her neck, blocking her airway.
Video from the bus ride showed Davila seated in front of Williams, on her cellphone and wearing earbuds, a violation of policies and procedures.
Dr. Walter Gonsoulin, Jr., the superintendent for Jefferson County Schools in Alabama, was named the 2025 National Superintendent of the Year during the National Conference on Education in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is the first Alabama superintendent to receive the award since the program began in 1989.
AASA, alongside award sponsors Corebridge Financial and Sourcewell, recognized Gonsoulin for promoting school choice, tackling complex problems with the goal of improving learning environments for students, and thinking beyond high school by championing other ways to support students in the path they want to take.
During his acceptance speech, he thanked the Jefferson County School Board, the parents, and the 35,000 students. He also thanked the district’s 4,500 employees, calling out bus drivers and maintenance workers specifically.
Gonsoulin spoke with School Transportation News last month about the importance of transportation in getting students to and from Signature Academy Programs. Additionally, he was instrumental in a project to put Wi-Fi hotspots on all school buses, so students can be connected during their long bus routes.
Dr. David K. Moore, the superintendent for the School District of Indian River County in Florida, referred to school bus drivers as transportation professionals, adding they are the first team members to “greet our students in the morning and the very last team members to wish them a good evening after school.”
At a Glance: Indian River Schools
Number of drivers: 72
Number of routes: 68
Student transported daily: 7,000
Miles traveled yearly: 1.6 million
Moore noted that school bus drivers have an “incredible responsibility” to transport students safely to and from school. In addition, transportation plays a role in transporting students to and from a variety of enriching and extracurricular activities offered by Indian River.
“We depend on our transportation professionals to support students in arriving to school on time so that we can maximize the instructional time that we have,” he added.
One major district initiative, Moore said, is sustaining the rate of accelerated achievement outcomes and expanding focus on school innovation to create a portfolio of offerings for the community.
“We continue to build and maintain robust data systems and infrastructure to not only drive unprecedented rates of improvement in student achievement, but also to ensure fiscal and organizational responsibility through our system,” he said.
Indian River also operates a 100-percent, propane-fueled school bus fleet with a current project focusing on adding a new propane fueling station.
Ahead of the 2025 Superintendent of the Year being named on March 6 at the National Conference on Education in New Orleans, Louisiana, School Transportation News sat down with those in charge of transportation operations at the respective districts to gain a better understanding of how the services function. The Superintendent of the Year Award is sponsored by AASA: The School Superintendents Association, along with Corebridge Financial and Sourcewell, to celebrate the contributions and leadership of public-school superintendents.
This year’s four finalists were selected from 49 state superintendent award winners (Hawaii was not included) and were judged based on their exhibited leadership for learning, communication, professionalism and community involvement.
A $10,000 college scholarship will be presented in the name of the 2025 National Superintendent of the Year to a student at a high school the winning superintendent graduated from or from the school district the winner now leads.
Jennifer Idlette, director of transportation, said workplace culture is positive with a strong teamwork foundation. She noted that the team is often acknowledged and appreciated for their efforts.
She noted transportation is able to maintain drives in excess of routes, but face challenges when illnesses, absences and academic and athletic trips are added in.
“We are required to split (double-up) routes frequently,” she said. “We focus on recruiting and hiring year-round, $300 recruitment bonus paid to district employees for referrals who are hired, and we offer an optional 40-hour work week for drivers by assigning them as school support during mid-day break.”
Idlette said Moore informs his departments of district initiatives and provides support when needed to address and resolve concerns in a timely manner.
Dr. Moore’s Education History
Moore said he started his education career as an exceptional student education teacher and school counselor. Five years in, he began serving in a variety of district leadership roles until he became the superintendent at Indian River County five years ago.
He shared that his father served as a principal for 21 years at the same school and had the greatest influence on cultivating his unwavering purpose as an educator.
“Naturally a very quiet man, my father would come to life when speaking about teaching and learning,” Moore added. “Many of the times I felt most connected to dad was when we would discuss his life’s passion for education, a passion that would be replicated in me. I watched my father cultivate growth, ownership and ambitious expectations at the school he led.”
Without realizing it, Moore said he was learning how “leaders adapt, inspire, and invest in people.
“Looking back, I was observing the intangible elements of culture that have shaped my beliefs and actions throughout all my leadership experiences and formed the building blocks for building sustainable, high-quality learning environments that our students deserve,” he added.
Moore said that being a finalist of the AASA Superintendent of the Year is something he is proud of for the recognition it brings his entire school district team.
“For them to be recognized across the state for their unwavering investments in and collective commitment to providing high quality educational experiences for all students, while realizing unprecedented academic outcomes,” he said. “Individually, I see this as an opportunity to be an ambassador and advocate for public education, to uplift all public education leaders in being authors of our own reform, and to demonstrate that public education can deliver the outcomes that all students deserve.”
A pilot project in New York City will feature a school bus outfitted with surround cameras, near-miss AI analysis, and in-cab alerts to improve safety around the school bus.
The School Bus of the Future is inspired by last year’s Together for Safer Roads (TSR) Truck of the Future program but adapted and specialized for school buses operating in urban scenarios. TSR is a coalition of companies, city governments, and community stakeholders and partners on the pilot with contractor New York School Bus Umbrella Service (NYCSBUS) and telematics provider VisionTrack.
According to a press release, “TSR’s original Truck of the Future program sought to address the issue of blind zones in commercial trucks by installing Vulnerable Road User (VRU) Detection Systems on fleet vehicles, providing drivers with enhanced visibility and real-time feedback on potential near misses.”
The VRU technology, developed by VisionTrack, utilizes AI-powered cameras to detect pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists around the vehicle and was installed on trucks from the NYC Department of Environmental Protection, NYC Parks and an AB InBev’s subsidiary in Mexico City.
“We saw that the [Truck of the Future] was able to successfully reduce safety risks for commercial vehicles,” said Karunya Sabapathy, head of communications for NYCSBUS, adding that the goal for the pilot school bus project is to improve pedestrian safety and increase visibility for drivers.
The School Bus of the Future pilot program will evaluate speeding, harsh driving, VRU alerting, and video triggers to determine how these integrated systems are enhancing road safety.
“The program will also include managers and driver surveys to assess their view of the technology, any additional distractions created, and how best to roll out these systems in a high pedestrian and micromobility urban environments,” the press release adds.
Sabapathy said that because many city school buses transport students as required by their Individualized Education Program (IEP), utilizing these technologies on the school bus can greatly improve the safety of schoolchildren.
For the current project, three school buses will be outfitted with the technology. Sabapathy noted that NYCBUS prides itself on being data-centric and using data to inform a lot of operating decisions.
“One of the unique features of the School Bus of the Future program is that it provides real-time data to drivers as well, so they’re able to use that data to inform their decisions,” she explained, adding that an intent is to identify trends and behaviors using the camera technology. “…We really want to closely analyze and see just how effective this technology is in cityscape programs.”
She said that the technology will be configured and modified to meet the needs of New York City. For instance, she said pedestrians are prevalent across all five boroughs, sometimes walking closely on the sidewalk or in the street itself.
“We have to uniquely configure the parameters of the AI detection to make sure that the bus is not constantly beeping,” she said, noting that the most useful use cases of the technology need to be considered. “We’re trying to figure out how to make this application useful and viable for this [urban] environment.”
Dr. Walter B. Gonsoulin, Jr., noted that becoming a finalist for the 2025 National Superintendent of the Year award was the culmination of a lot of hard work put in by a lot of people at Jefferson County Schools in Alabama.
He explained the importance of staff, administrators, teachers, students and parents who played a role in the honor.
“Yes, I am the leader of the school district, but a leader is only as good as the people who support him or her,” he said. “I have a tremendous cabinet and team of administrators who work tirelessly to do what’s best for students. Our teachers ensure that our students are learning and getting the best education possible. Our students work hard and take ownership in their own education. Our parents partner with us to ensure that their students are successful. I did not accomplish this by myself.”
Ahead of the 2025 Superintendent of the Year being named on March 6 at the National Conference on Education in New Orleans, Louisiana, School Transportation News sat down with those in charge of transportation operations at the respective districts to gain a better understanding of how the services function. The Superintendent of the Year Award is sponsored by AASA: The School Superintendents Association along with Corebridge Financial and Sourcewell to celebrate contributions and leadership of public-school superintendents.
This year’s four finalists were selected from 49 state superintendent award winners (Hawaii was not included) and were judged based on their exhibited leadership for learning, communication, professionalism and community involvement.
A $10,000 college scholarship will be presented in the name of the 2025 National Superintendent of the Year to a student at a high school the winning superintendent graduated from or from the school district the winner now leads.
Kevin Snowden, the transportation director for the district, is in his second year running the department after coming out of retirement. Snowden has served in various roles in student transportation, including as the state director at both the Florida and Alabama departments of education and as president of the Southeastern States Pupil Transportation Conference.
He explained that while Jefferson County is fully staffed, sub-drivers are hard to come by when a route driver calls out. They district is in the process of working to increase the sub pool. However, he noted many transportation office staff members and mechanics have their commercial driver’s licenses and help when needed.
To encourage driver attendance, he said drivers with perfect attendance are invited to a special event hosted by transportation. One driver, Peggy Coats, hasn’t missed a day of work in six years.
Initiatives Involving Transportation
One of the biggest initiatives over the past few years that directly involves transportation, Gonsoulin explained, involves the district’s Signature Academy Program. He explained the district has 13 high schools assigned into four zones (North, South, East and West.) Within that geographic region students can apply to any of the Signature Academies, classes that focus on a field of interest. Such as culinary arts, cybersecurity, engineering, and more.
Typically, students take a bus, provided by transportation, for their one academy class. Transportation then brings the student back to their home school following that class, where they will remain for the rest of the day.
“These educational opportunities absolutely would not be possible without our dedicated transportation staff,” he said. “They ensure that each student gets to their academy destination safely and on time.”
Additionally, transportation is working to install Wi-Fi hotspots on all district buses. Jefferson County provides each student with a Chromebook, that they will be able to use to complete school assignments while riding to and from school.
“They’ll be able to review for a test or start their homework before even getting to their house,” he added.
Snowden noted that some routes are 45 minutes to an hour one way. The district was able to utilize federal funds from the E-Rate program to make the purchase happen.
Jefferson County Schools: At a glance
Number of school buses 488
Routes: 552, 97 of which are special needs
Student’s transported: 20,000
Miles traveled yearly: 4,000,640 miles
He explained that Wi-Fi-equipped buses will also allow for additional technology to be implemented on the buses such as turn-by-turn navigation, utilizing a driver time clock — as opposed to time sheets— adding another form of communication on the bus, and student tracking. It’s unknown how the district would proceed if the Supreme Court of the U.S. ends the Universal Services Funds.
While the current fleet of school buses is 100 percent diesel Jefferson County recently purchased 40 gasoline school buses that should arrive in April.
“We have longer routes, and so we don’t know that propane, electric or CNG would be necessarily a good fit for us,” Snowden explained, adding that neighboring districts do use alternative fuels and energy.
Building Relationships
Snowden noted during this tenure in transportation that he’s worked for at least three good superintendents and ranked Gonsoulin among the best. “He’s a cut above many superintendents, good leader, good spokesman, just a good person,” he said.
He provided examples, such as not only listening but asking follow-up questions on department needs.
Dr. Walter B. Gonsoulin, Jr., superintendent at Jefferson County Schools in Alabama, is a finalist for the 2025 National Superintendent of the Year award.
“He makes good decisions and promotes the board in our direction, as far as being able to present our needs to the Board of Education,” Snowden added. “So, when they vote on things, they vote favorably. He’s very supportive in getting the job done when we have a need.”
Snowden noted Gonsoulin makes department heads feel comfortable telling him their needs.
Gonsoulin added that having a working relationship with the transportation department is important because school buses are an integral part of the school system.
“We run over 450 routes every single day,” he noted. “This is a massive operation. I have to have my pulse on what is happening with that department and have good people running it. If it’s not running well, and students aren’t getting to where they need to be and on time, that is going to cause a ripple effect throughout the instructional day.”
He added that school bus drivers are the first school employee that many students see in the morning and the last that they see before going home in the afternoon.
Dr. Walter B. Gonsoulin Jr. was the first person in his immediate family to graduate from high school and attend college. Growing up his mother worked three jobs, and his father drove for a taxi company. He said his parents stressed to him and his sisters the importance of education and the doors it could open. He grew up in New Iberia, Louisiana and has had many different positions in education, including teacher, coach, principal, assistant superintendent and now superintendent of Jefferson County Schools in Alabama.
“I think I’ve always had a love for education,” he shared. “When I was in elementary school, I got an award for reading. And I remember thinking, ‘I can get an award for this?’ I didn’t read to get the award. It wasn’t anything intentional. I read because I enjoyed reading and enjoyed learning new things.
“I think over the years, that love for learning evolved into wanting to help others learn,” he continued. “The desire to help others, and the nudging from a relative who was already working in education, is ultimately what led me to make it my career. I have been in this field for 35 years now, and I still love waking up in the morning. Coming to work every day is still such a joy!”
“They are an essential part of the learning process,” he said. “They can set the whole tone of the day for a student. They’re not just drivers, they’re teachers, mentors, and people our students admire.”
Gonsoulin said transportation should be an important part of the job for any superintendent.
“Our drivers are the people we trust to get our children safely to school and back,” he continued. “Our mechanics are the ones we trust to make sure the buses are safe and in good working order. Our transportation administrative staff ensures that all those routes run smoothly and that our personnel are properly trained.”
He advised other districts to find a process that works and stick with it, noting that Snowden reports directly to one of his deputy superintendents. “This chain of command facilitates the movement of information extremely quickly,” he said. “If there are any issues that arise, I’m one of the first people notified.”
He added that school administrators all have a point of contact at the district transportation office, which ensures everyone is on the same page if a route is running late or there’s mechanical issues.
Snowden said it takes a team effort. If the team is not going in the same direction, he said they won’t arrive at the location.
“Every part of education, whether it be your child nutrition program, your nursing program, your maintenance program, your transportation program, if everybody doesn’t have a common goal for the safety of the students, for the welfare of the students, we’re never going to get there,” Snowden concluded. “We all have to be focused in the right direction. And Dr G is great at pointing us in that direction.”
Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat recognizes that every student’s schedule is different and should offer flexible options to ensure no student gets left behind. It often falls on transportation to provide access to those resources.
This adds up to 19 different bell schedules at Peoria Public Schools in Illinois that transportation must accommodate. Joshua Collins, director of transportation and fleet services for the district, likened a bell schedule to an individual student schedule, 19 throughout the day from morning to afternoon to evening. In addition to home-to-school, Collins said Peoria transports students to vocational schools, CTE programs, pre-k programs and half-day, pre-k, as well as various other programs for students with special needs, which could be full-day or half-day programs.
Peoria Public Schools: At a glance
School bus drivers: 106
Routes: 82
Student’s transported: 6,500
Route miles traveled yearly: 1.5 million
“We are busy, and then you throw field trips on top of that, and athletics on top of that,” Collins said. “The need is there. [The students are] important. It’s worth the sacrifice. It’s worth the effort to try to figure it out. Because especially the students we have, they need these programs. And at the end of the day, I keep that in mind, that this is not for my comfort, it’s for our kids.”
Kherat, who’s going on her 10th year as superintendent at Peoria, said she recognizes the work transportation does for the success of the students and how it aligns with Peoria’s five-year strategic plan, which concludes in 2026. However, she noted that the plan “is a reimagined education that ignites passion and empowers students to be responsible and successful.”
Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat, superintendent at Peoria Public Schools in Illinois, is a 2025 finalist for the AASA National Superintendent of the Year award.
“We wanted to really be bold and move away from the one-size-fits-all sort of programming,” she explained, adding that transportation plays a huge role. “Josh and I talk very regularly. What I like about him, no matter how challenging, it might be a difficult ask but he will do everything in his power to really make it happen and squeeze it in. And that’s part of our success, really. We will not continue to thrive on this traditional schedule.”
She noted the district also has options for students who have jobs or attend trauma-based programs, in total offering about 15 different alternative options.
“Thinking outside the box and providing lots of opportunities and options for students,” she said of district goals. “We have an international baccalaureate program for students from all over the city. We have a middle school gifted program that is one of the top schools in the state of Illinois. They pull kids from all over the city.”
Collins noted he has drivers start as early as 5 a.m. to transport students protected under the McKinney-Vento Homelessness Assistance Act, and some drivers who are working till 11 p.m. on field and athletic trips. All of this is accomplished fully staffed.
Collins said to combat a personnel shortage, Peoria invested in the school bus drivers and monitors, making their salaries competitive for the next three to four years. Over the past couple years, Peoria increased its driver pay by almost $10, with starting wages at around $26 an hour next year.
Ahead of the 2025 Superintendent of the Year being named on March 6 at the National Conference on Education in New Orleans, Louisiana, School Transportation News sat down with those in charge of transportation operations at the respective districts to gain a better understanding of how the services function. The Superintendent of the Year Award is sponsored by AASA: The School Superintendents Association along with Corebridge Financial and Sourcewell to celebrate contributions and leadership of public-school superintendents.
This year’s four finalists were selected from 49 state superintendent award winners (Hawaii was not included — STN reached out to AASA to confirm why) and were judged based on their exhibited leadership for learning, communication, professionalism and community involvement.
A $10,000 college scholarship will be presented in the name of the 2025 National Superintendent of the Year to a student at a high school the winning superintendent graduated from or from the school district the winner now leads.
Transportation also partnered with a local advertising agency. “It was just so difficult to try to do everything that you do and manage all of these different advertising opportunities,” he said.
Collins’ staff and the agency collaborated on a QR code that takes potential applicants to an online landing page for a pre-screening questionnaire.
The true challenge for Peoria has been a shortage of vehicles. Kherat said she is in the process of asking the school board for money to purchase new school buses, as prior to 2020 the most recent orders were in 2009 and then again in 2015 due to budget constraints. The district is now trying to get caught up on its replacement cycle, and over the past five years have replaced nearly 80 buses. This year, the school board received a request for $3 million to purchase 34 buses, but the final amount approved was about half that. In addition to the increased district programming discussed above, Kherat said the district needed the buses due to the increase in students, schools and routes.
“It’s a good place to be,” she said of district growth. “We just need folks who are willing to have that elastic mindset as well as the mindset around doing the work differently. … In order to continue to thrive and ensure that our kids are well positioned for success in society and in the workforce, we have to think outside the box for them.”
Creating Culture from the Top Down
Kherat said the culture at Peoria is focused on being collaborative and collective. She noted success hinges on listening to the needs of departments, getting feedback, and making adjustments.
One way to foster culture, she said, is through recognition to boost district morale. She noted that Collins mirrors and replicates in transportation what’s happening on national and district-wide levels. For example, Collins said he celebrates Black History Month this month and Women’s History Month in March.
“It’s one thing to recruit, but you have to retain, if you’re not keeping the people that you’re recruiting, then you just end up recruiting all the time,” he explained. “Then you can’t [fully] train them, so you’re always just doing level one training, because that’s all you can do because you’re constantly turning over new people.”
He explained that celebrating cultures is one way to focus on the employees and show appreciation. “I like to celebrate our diversity,” he added. “We have a lot of different people here, a lot of different folks that represent a lot of different mindsets and a lot of different ways that they approach transportation. So, we try to celebrate that, we try to celebrate who our folks are and what they represent.”
Kherat added that retention isn’t all about the money, but instead who people work for.
“People don’t quit their jobs,” she said. “I think they quit their people.”
Breaking Down Initiatives
Because retention is important, not just in transportation but district-wide, Kherat said she focuses on employee interviews to learn what’s working and what isn’t. She said getting this information helps her administration know what will keep teachers on staff. She noted that when she joined the district in 2015, teacher retention was at 78 percent, last year it increased to 88 percent. Kherat said she would like to see that number in the 90s.
She noted another way to keep staff is by allowing people to serve the district in non-teacher positions, without certifications, with the goal of eventually getting their license, paid for by the district. The only requirement is to sign a promissory note that they will remain at the district for three years. The same model can work with school bus drivers.
Another initiative Kherat mentioned was the district’s incorporation of electric school buses, with the goal of having a 20 percent EV fleet with its first purchase. Infrastructure updates at the transportation facility have already begun. The district received a grant from the EPA Clean School Bus Program of about $5.9 million for 15 electric school buses. Despite the Trump administration’s attempt to freeze program funding, sources indicated it will continue unfettered. But when remains a question, as many grantees from across the country have yet to see the funds flow. Meanwhile, the district is contributing $4.5 million for infrastructure and another four electric school buses with wheelchair capability.
“From a point of view of environmental impact, they are going to be better locally than some of the diesel vehicles, especially some of the older ones that we’ve been running,” Kherat said.
Additionally, she noted the district is installing solar panels on the roofs of high schools to offset utility costs and serve as a backup power generation.
She noted that in January the district rolled out a new bus app that allows parents to communicate with transportation and view routes and bus information more effectively. Additionally, transportation is migrating its routing software.
Building a Relationship
Collins noted that Dr. Kherat is relentless, which is exactly what the district needs.
“If you do a little bit of research about Peoria, Illinois, what you will find is we have a Zip code that is one of the most impoverished in the state,” he said, adding maybe even across the nation. “Poverty leads to a lot of social and economic issues, and we need somebody who is relentless, who will push, push, push, push because that’s what these children need. If we want to break this cycle of poverty … if we want to stop what’s going on in our community, we have to educate our children.”
He noted that even after accomplishing one task, she doesn’t stop there.
“It keeps you moving and keeps it going,” he explained. “I hate to say it this way, but nothing’s ever good enough, and it shouldn’t ever be good enough for the kids. And I appreciate that, and I that is a tremendous asset I think that the district has.”
Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat has lived in Peoria, Illinois, for over 40 years. She first arrived as a teenager from St Croix, Virgin Islands to attend Bradley University and ended up staying. She said she built her entire career out of the city, serving in various educational roles.
“I just love people,” she said. “I have a lot of educators in my family. I did not originally set off to get into education. I had a different major but somehow ended up in West Lake Hall, which is the building at Bradley University that provides a lot of support and guidance to education majors, and did my student teaching and student observation all in Peoria Public Schools.
“We talk about this work and life, it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and that’s what we’re experiencing every day,” she continued. “This work is all about making a difference and fighting for the children and understanding that everyone can thrive with the right supports and resources.”
She said when she was named the state superintendent of the year and a finalist for the national honor, she didn’t believe it was real.
“It’s humbling,” she said, adding that she’s not taking the recognition for granted. “I’m just the face. It’s the work of PPS, everybody in Peoria Public Schools, from the board down to the community as well.”
In terms of transportation, he said it’s critical to have a good relationship with the district administration .
“The administration has to trust you, you need to really have that relationship where you can go to administration and say, this is what you need, or this is a situation, or and trust that you know you’re not trying to hide something or you’re not trying to cover something up,” she said. “Trust to know that you’re going to handle situations.”
Collins said transportation provides more than trips. “Transportation deals with logistics,” he explained. “There are logistical problems throughout the district that a good transportation department can be a part of to help navigate and or solve. But you have to have that trust there.”
His advice to other transportation directors is to get involved at the district level. “If you’re not in the cabinet, get yourself in cabinet. If there’s a meeting coming up about curriculum, just be the fly on the wall. Learn everything that you can through all those meetings,” he noted.
Sooner or later, he said the director can start raising their hand and offering solutions, and how transportation can help.
“And then then you are viewed as more of a resource than just getting the kids to school, he added.
Kherat agreed, noting that without transportation, many children wouldn’t have access to education.
“It’s integral to a smooth operation of a school district,” she said. “We need to have a well-functioning transportation department that helps provide equal opportunity to all of our children, no matter where they live.”
She added that her departments are all on the same page.
“We have an indomitable spirit about us that we may be knocked down, but we get up and we keep plugging away,” said Kherat, who considers herself a servant-leader. “And that’s pretty much everybody on the team, just ensuring that every kid has a fighting chance for a good life, whether it’s through traditional or through unorthodox [education].”
With less than two years remaining before school districts in New York are required to purchase only electric school buses, Gov. Kathy Hochul said she is open to delaying the mandate because of increasing challenges.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Hochul was asked by News10NBC if she is considering delaying the law she signed in April 2022.
“Absolutely,” Hochul responded. “We’ve been having many conversations about it. This is, aspirationally, we want this to happen. We also have to take into consideration that their circumstances have changed since this went into law.”
One of the circumstances she noted was the current inability of some school districts to acquire electric school buses, not to mention in 2027. She noted that already $500 million exists in a larger $4.2 billion environmental bond act to alleviate the costs of electric school buses and to help local school districts with the transition.
“This is not going to be a hard and fast rule because we have to deal with the realities that these school districts are facing,” she Hochul added.
There is already legislation, introduced on Jan. 24, that would alleviate some of the pressure. New York Senate Bill 3328 would authorize school districts to submit an opt-out waiver to the commissioner of education. Authorized districts would receive a permanent exemption from the mandate of zero-emission school buses. A bill died last year would have replaced the electric school bus mandate with a feasibility study.
The law already includes a one-time extension that would allow districts to be granted an additional two years to comply with the 2035 deadline of having fully electric fleets.
Dr. Debbie Jones knows the importance of prioritizing her staff and surrounding community, whether through a parent school choice program or dedicated housing for district personnel.
Ahead of the 2025 Superintendent of the Year being named on March 6 at the National Conference on Education in New Orleans, Louisiana, School Transportation News sat down with those in charge of transportation operations at the respective districts to gain a better understanding of how the services function. The Superintendent of the Year Award is sponsored by AASA: The School Superintendents Association along with Corebridge Financial and Sourcewell to celebrate contributions and leadership of public-school superintendents.
This year’s four finalists were selected from 49 state superintendent award winners (Hawaii was not included — STN reached out to AASA to confirm why, but Hawaii superintedenets oversee complexes, which is different than the other states) and were judged based on their exhibited leadership for learning, communication, professionalism and community involvement.
A $10,000 college scholarship will be presented in the name of the 2025 National Superintendent of the Year to a student at a high school the winning superintendent graduated from or from the school district the winner now leads.
One highlight of Bentonville Public Schools in Arkansas, where Jones serves as superintendent, is that it is fully staffed in transportation. Don Hoover, executive director of student services, lauded Transportation Director Jason Salmons and his team for their advertising and recruiting efforts.
We’re recruiting friends and colleagues and people they may go to church with, or friends from the neighborhood,” Hoover said. “We’re lucky this community responds. We’re fully staffed right now. We even have some wonderful teachers who help us out, teachers who work their full-time teaching job then help us out in the morning or the afternoon, if their schedule allows.”
Jones added another way the district has combatted the school bus driver shortage is by encouraging coaches to obtain their CDLs, so they can drive to their sporting events.
“When I came here, I was accustomed to coaches driving their bus,” Jones recalled of her previous experience. “[Bentonville] didn’t do it at the time. In fact, we wouldn’t allow it, and we needed more bus drivers.”
Jones said she started to encourage coaches, especially because home-to-school transportation is the priority. “And if that means you can’t get to your football game or baseball game because you don’t have a driver, it’s on you,” she noted. “They understand that now everyone needs a CDL [driver] on their team.”
Breaking Down Initiatives
Jones said one of the district’s biggest initiatives for transportation is related to Arkansas being a parent-choice state. Parents can enroll their children in private school, homeschool, public school, and charter schools as well as open enrollment for public school. This, she said, encourages Bentonville to be more competitive.
“We’re offering parents all kinds of different opportunities within our own school district,” she said, adding that this year Bentonville created a parent choice model for its schools downtown. “We’re a growing district of about 20,000 students and we grow a lot every year. Most of our families can afford to live out on the border of our zones.”
She explained that downtown Bentonville is very expensive. Plus, last month Walmart Home Office opened in the city, which is bringing in more people. Because people can’t afford to live downtown, she noted that four or five elementary schools don’t fill to capacity, whereas the schools closer to the district boundaries are at capacity. To draw more people to downtown schools, the district created the policy that it will provide transportation.
That also presents challenges.
“It’s hard to get enough bus drivers,” she said. “Increasing routes makes it even more difficult.”
To address this, she noted that over the past three years, Bentonville has reduced door-to-door school bus service that the community was accustomed to. Instead, the district transitioned to consolidated bus stops. Jones said transportation is handling the new parent choice model “beautifully.”
Bentonville at a glance:
District enrollment: 19,600 students
Students transported: 12,967
Daily routes: 132
Number of drivers: 152
Coaches that have their CDL: 19
Number of school buses: 168
Total miles driven yearly (route, field trips, sporting events): 1,899,866
Another initiative is creating staff housing, due to the expensive city of Bentonville. She noted the district wants to continue to hire top-quality staff, and she wants them to be able to live in Bentonville and not elsewhere which leads to longer work commutes. As a result, she noted the district partnered with a nonprofit to design 40 teacher cottages with rent far below market that staff can live in for up to five years based on income. The monthly rent payments are then saved for the employees so that when they move out, they receive the lump sum back. This can be used as a downpayment on a home.
The staff housing will also feature a 3,000-square-foot childcare center. Jones added that she expects some transportation staff will live there.
One last initiative Jones discussed was the district’s career program. Professional career programs are popular across Arkansas, and since 2016 Bentonville has offered a nonprofessional studies program that students are transported to via the school bus.
“Our bus drivers are driving to all of these opportunities for high school kids, from their high schools to the professional studies building from the high schools the junior college — We have welding programs — so [transportation is] taking care of all of these one-off programs,” Jones explained. “We have behavior classrooms too. Some of those can be tough [trips] for drivers and for aides.”
She added that Hope Academy is a trauma-based school located outside of the district, so Bentonville doesn’t receive funds for students going there. “We provide transportation free of charge,” she said, adding that they’re losing money for this service. “But it is a service to the district because the kids are getting the help they need and they’re not being disruptive.”
Culture
Meanwhile, Hoover in student services noted that Salmons in transportation does a great job visiting and speaking with his employees. “The most important thing is a very safe and really a nurturing ride to school and from school,” he added. “The bus driver may be the first adult kids see, the first adult interaction they have in a day outside of mom and dad. And sometimes Mom and Dad are going to work [in the morning]. We obviously want our drivers to have a big smile on their face and set the tone for a good day for all the kids as they’re going to school. So, when they get to school, they’re ready to learn.”
That same welcoming culture continues once students get to school. “They have welcoming principals and teachers at the classroom doors,” Hoover continued. “It’s the next wave of people who are greeting a student every morning to make them feel special and want to be part of Bentonville schools.”
Bentonville is continuing to run a majority of diesel and some gasoline school buses. Hoover noted that Salmons is looking into propane to determine if it’s a viable option. Bentonville doesn’t contract out any aspect of its transportation service.
In terms of technology, transportation uses several different platforms, one of which is student accountability through a badge scan system. “When the students come on, they badge on, they badge off,” Hoover explained. “It’s just a really good safety measure to have with your students. Our principals back at the campus can see that on the software program and their computers and know where their kids are at all times. And the individual parent through an app can know where their bus is on the route and when to expect their student home.”
Dr. Debbie Jones, superintendent for Bentonville Public Schools in Arkansas. Jones is a 2025 Superintendent of the Year finalist by AASA.
Building Relationships with Administration, Transportation
Dr. Debbie Jones, the superintendent of Bentonville Public Schools in Arkansas and one of the four finalists for Superintendent of the Year Award, said her family has a long history in education. She shared that her dad was a teacher, coach and farmer and was on the school board at one point. She recalled being the little girl hanging out with the high school cheerleaders. She said she views being a superintendent as continuing the tradition.
Additionally, she shared her husband Dale Jones is a coach and teacher. “It’s just part of the fabric of who we are as a family. And I love it still today, because getting to be around students of different ages,” she said, adding that she taught high school but also enjoys sitting in the elementary classrooms. “It’s refreshing. It’s inspiring. When I talk with high school kids at the secondary level who are really getting started in their careers, it’s so good to see that excitement in their eyes, the curiosity and it keeps you young in this job.
“I can easily get bored in a job, and this is one of the first jobs that I’m never bored,” she continued, adding that the day to day is different every hour.
Jones – a mother of five children, the youngest of which is finishing college, and a grandmother to two – said she’s traveled and worked in Tennessee and Kentucky but moved back to Arkansas 30 years ago. She is going on her ninth year as superintendent for Bentonville. When asked what being a Superintendent of the Year finalist award means to her, Jones shared there’s a new sense of responsibility.
“I was so surprised,” she said. “We have really such high-quality superintendents that were nominated, and I’m honored. And there’s a sense of responsibility to speak up for what we need in education, to fight for those things.”
She said that meeting the other three finalists in Washington, D.C., was reinvigorating and showed her that Bentonville is on the right track. “We’re doing some progressive things that are very good. Keep going, push harder,” she said. “Whether you’re the finalist or not is immaterial to me at this point. It is really about enjoying the process, learning from the process and it’s bringing the best that you can bring to the district and to the state.”
Jones noted that transportation staff tend to be more transient in their employment, as many school bus drivers are older and retiring. As a result, the department is constantly hiring and training people.
“We have to be very aggressive in marketing and paying,” she said. “We also have to have good relationships.”
She explained that currently transportation has a really great culture and leadership team. “It’s really important for each one of our schools, our principals, assistant principals, our teachers, to appreciate bus drivers, which they do. They show them lots of love,” she said.
Jones provided an example. During each school board meeting, the district recognizes an employee who goes the extra mile, nominated by anyone in the community. For January, the Extra Mile recipient was school bus driver Sonia, who was nominated by a teacher. Sonia was nominated because she decorates her bus for each holiday. Jones noted that when the teacher’s first grade class got on the bus to go on a Christmas field trip, Sonia played Christmas music that instantly put the children in the holiday spirit.
“We do try to show our drivers love,” Jones added. “They’re super high-quality employees. We’re really proud of them, and they take great care of our students, and we can’t function without them. The world stops when you have to start canceling bus routes, and we try to do everything we can to make that not happen.”
Hoover noted that Jones has an open-door policy and listens to the needs of all departments. He added that if Salmons has a particularly urgent problem, he can report it directly to Jones.
Hoover added that he has bi-monthly meetings with each department he oversees, including transportation, to discuss any operational needs.
“Dr. Jones is always very quick to respond and help us form the solution that is needed,” Hoover said. In speaking on the driver shortage again, he noted that Jones was very supportive with their advertising efforts to hire more drivers, as well as the needs of physical resources like new buses.
“We have support financially, have support to hire at all times, and it’s crucial we have that opportunity for open communications,” Hoover said. “She’s a superintendent that definitely wants to listen to what the departments need when they have those needs.”
Following the spread of several destructive wildfires across Southern California last month, transportation operations are just beginning to realize the impact on the students served.
More than 23,700 acres burned during the Palisades Fire, the most destructive fire in Los Angeles City history and third-most destructive in the state. Nearly 18,000 structures were burned, including homes, schools and businesses. At least 12 were killed as of this report. Parts of Malibu and Santa Monica were also devastated.
Neal Abramson, the recently retired transportation director for the Santa Monica – Malibu Unified School District, told School Transportation News that continued road closures were heavily impacting transportation services. Pacific Coast Highway finally reopened on Monday, nearly four weeks after the fire broke out on Jan. 7.
Abramson, who is still involved with the district as a consultant, noted that some school buses had to go 70 to 100 miles around road closures to transport students to and from school. Other school bus routes simply did not run at all.
He said students were displaced in areas where routes can be one to two hours long one way. That has been a challenge to a primarily CNG fleet and a 220-mile range per bus.
Many are still trying to navigate the impact of the fires and how it will affect transportation in the long run. Danielle Press, EverDriven’s chief growth officer, noted the alternative transportation company had yet to see an increase in student riders affected or displaced by the fires, but she anticipates it will come.
“We know affected districts are currently working to understand the impact fires have had on their student’s transportation,” she said, adding that no EverDriven employees or partners were directly impacted by the fires. “We think we’ll see a gradual increase in student riders directly impacted by the fires within the next one to two months.”
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Unified School District, which serves the Pacific Palisades community, helped with the evacuation of students and staff from Marquez Elementary School and Palisades Charter Elementary School, both of which were significantly damaged by fire. An LAUSD public information officer added that some school buses were stuck on Sunset Boulevard, which stretches from Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades to downtown Los Angeles, due to people abandoning their personal vehicles to flee from the fires.
The district closed schools in early January due to air quality concerns and remained closed for several days. As school reopened, LAUSD added routes and adjusted them accordingly to meet the needs of students. Transportation continues to monitor the situation, the spokesperson added. No information was shared on if facilities or vehicles were damaged.
Several commenters in a Facebook school bus drivers group shared they too were involved in evacuation efforts.
A phone app shows the area of the Eaton Fire that impacted the Pasadena and Altadena areas in Southern California. Stock photo
Also on Jan. 7, about 30 miles away, the Eaton Fire broke out. It ultimately destroyed 9,000 structures and damaged another 1,074. The fire, which killed at least 17 people, greatly affected the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD), which serves Altadena, Linda Vista, Pasadena, and surrounding cities. More than 10,000 students and 1,387 employees lived in the evacuation zones, and many lost their homes.
State Superintendent Tony Thurmond and PUSD announced on Jan. 14 an agreement to provide free emergency housing for over 1,300 PUSD staff whose homes were evacuated within the burn zone of the Eaton Fire.
“Providing housing for impacted school staff is a critical step toward reopening PUSD schools and stabilizing the Pasadena community,” a press release stated, adding that the housing was made available through Airbnb.org, a nonprofit organization founded by Airbnb that connects people to free emergency housing in times of crisis.
School Transportation News asked PUSD if any transportation employees were utilizing the housing but had not received a reply at this report.
Due to school buildings being destroyed, the district announced classes were being moved to various locations throughout the community. The district announced a phased reopening plan starting on Jan. 23. As of this week, all schools have reopened.
Joanna McFarland, co-founder and CEO of HopSkipDrive, said her alternative transportation company is committed to being a part of the recovery and rebuilding efforts.
“It’s an understatement to say that our hearts go out to the students, families, and school teams who have been impacted by the wildfires in Southern California over the last few weeks,” McFarland said. “We know that rebuilding will take time and there are immediate needs for transportation support for displaced students as well as impacted district staff. We are proud to work alongside our partners to arrange transportation for students with just six hours’ notice. Whether a child is temporarily displaced and needs to get to school, a school now is located somewhere new and must route students immediately, or the impacts on district staff make it difficult to fulfill transportation needs the way they once had, HopSkipDrive is able to meet these needs safely and reliably.”
Both fires have been contained and extinguished at this report. However, a new report by UCLA on the economic impact of the wildfires estimates total property and capital losses range between $95 billion and $164 billion. Prior to these fires, California’s most expensive wildfire was the 2018 Northern California “Camp Fire” with an estimated $30 billion in losses.
In an era where the future of electric school buses has grown increasingly complicated, a pilot project for school districts across the state of New Mexico run by electric school bus manufacturer GreenPower Motor Company to determine the viability and reliability of fast charging in different environments and circumstances.
New Mexico and GreenPower signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that the state will seek an appropriation of $5 million to conduct the pilot program that would fund the purchase of all-electric, purpose-built school buses, installation of charging stations and other resources, and management costs.
The pilot would begin during the 2025-2026 school year and continue into the 2026-2027 school year. All school districts would be eligible to participate voluntarily, with a selection criterion to be determined by the state and GreenPower.
The MOU adds that the state will seek an additional $15 million for purchasing additional school buses to be evaluated during the pilot project, following the successful completion of two phases. It also notes that the state will work with GreenPower to expand the all-electric-commercial fleet operated by the Department of Transportation and General Services Department.
The MOU notes GreenPower’s commitment to American-made lithium iron phosphate batteries, which are used in the company’s Type D BEAST and Mega BEAST as well as Type A Nano BEAST.
“New Mexico has an excellent workforce and is a great place for clean energy businesses. We look forward to this pilot project providing the schools an experience with Class 4, Type A and Type D, all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emission school buses. The pilot will determine how state and local governments in New Mexico, and the entire Southwest, can be best served as the market expands for clean commercial vehicles, vans and buses,” GreenPower President Brendan Riley stated.
The MOU was signed Monday in the office of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham by Riley and the Economic Development Department (EDD), which has reportedly been working with GreenPower to find a service center facility in New Mexico.
Oklahoma House Bill 1244 would require school buses to be equipped with seatbelts or harnesses. If passed, it would make Oklahoma the 10th state to require safety restraint systems.
HB1244, introduced by Rep. Judd Strom, would require all new vehicles that transport 10 passengers or more and are purchased or contracted for use by school districts to be equipped with seatbelts or harnesses for every passenger. The bill does not differentiate between three-point lap/shoulder or two-point lap belts.
The bill states that every related vehicle would need the words “SCHOOL BUS” painted on the front and rear of the vehicle. HB1244 would apply to vehicles purchased or contracted for use by the effective date of July 1, 2025, ensuring the vehicles would be certified by the start of next school year.
Currently, nine other states require school bus seatbelts: Arkansas, California, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, and Texas. Louisiana has been unable to fully implement the law to install lap belts due to insufficient funding. Arkansas, while requiring lap/shoulder seatbelts, first requires local voters to approve property tax increases to pay for them.
Meanwhile, Florida’s law requires two-point belts and New York allows school boards to decide if they want to provide lap or lap/shoulder seatbelts and does not mandate students to use them.
“The addition of seatbelts for students riding to school or school events on our school buses would put parents’ minds at ease and provide an important layer of security for Oklahoma students,” Strom said. “By implementing this proposed requirement, we would not only be in the small number of states that are on the forefront of aligning Oklahoma with school bus seatbelt requirements but also give parents greater peace of mind knowing their children are as safe as possible during their daily commute.”
The bill will be eligible for consideration in the upcoming legislative session, beginning on Feb. 3.
A year after the Ohio School Bus Working Group issued its final recommendations on school bus safety, a bill introduced in the state House seeks to increase fines of illegally passing motorists and to create a safety fund that would award school districts grants for updating their fleets with safety features.
Two recommendations are specifically addressed in the new bill. The first is, “The Ohio Department of Public Safety should work with the Ohio General Assembly to strengthen penalties for drivers who violate traffic laws in school zones and around school buses.”
The Ohio School Bus Safety Act (HB3), introduced on Jan. 23, would increase the penalties for drivers passing a stopped school bus. The bill states that anyone found guilty of passing a stopped school bus would be issued an unclassified misdemeanor and could receive a fine of no less than $250 and no more than $1,000. Repeat offenders will face greater fines and would need to attend a school bus safety course.
The second recommendation addressed is, “The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce should work with the Ohio General Assembly to develop and fund a grant program to help school districts invest in school bus safety features such as, but not limited to, seatbelts. The grant program should be needs-based.”
School Bus Safety Features Included in the Ohio School Bus Safety Act:
– External school bus cameras
– Crossing arms
– Lane departure warning systems
– Electronic stability control
– Lighted crossover mirrors
– Colorado rack test-approved bus frames
– Fully illuminated stop arms located at the front and rear of a school bus
– Fully illuminated “school bus” signs
– Collision avoidance systems
– All light-emitting diode lights
– Ground wash lights
– Reflective chevron
– Occupant restraining devices that conform to the school bus seat belt requirements
– Additional safety features that become available through advancements in technology and that are approved by the department of public safety and the department of education and workforce.
The school bus safety fund would consist of “money appropriated to it by the general assembly and the criminal fines collected for violations,” the bill states, adding that the fund would be used to make grants available to school districts to improve safety features on school buses, as well as to be used to support the department of education and workforce and the department of public safety in educating the public regarding the laws around school buses.
The bill adds that grants would be awarded to eligible applicants for the purchase and installation of school bus safety features. School districts would be able to purchase and install school bus safety features to replace old, broken or outdated safety futures, and to purchase additional school bus safety options when specifying new school bus orders.
The legislation adds that the director of education and workforce at the Ohio Department of Education would be tasked with establishing procedures and requirements necessary to administer the grant, including procedures and requirements regarding the grant applicants and grant award processes and amounts. Grant awardees would need to spend the funds within two years after they were distributed.
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