Industry expert, NAPT Hall of Famer, TSD Tenured Faculty Member, and consultant Linda Bluth, Ed.D joins us for the first time on the podcast to share insights on students with special needs. She addresses the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), departmental collaboration, aides, alternative transportation, substitute drivers, training and more.

New Zonar CEO Charles Kriete discusses the technology provider’s combination with GPS Trackit, as well as efficiencies and innovations planned for the future.

Read more about special needs and leadership.

This episode is brought to you by Transfinder.

Message from Thomas Built Buses.

Conversation with Zonar.

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The post (STN Podcast E239) Dynamic Issues: Lessons From 60-Year Industry Veteran + Zonar CEO Interview appeared first on School Transportation News.

As 2024 comes to close, it’s the perfect time to reflect on new beginnings. Jennifer Vobis was recognized for her exceptional work as the 2022 Transportation Director of the Year, and she continued pursuing excellence in her role as executive transportation director at Clark County School District (CCSD) in Nevada.

In her “Day in the Life” video, she helped prepare her transportation team the 2024-2025 school year and shared a heartfelt farewell as retired from her position at CCSD. Tune in for a behind the scenes look at the process of prepping for a new school year, interviews with CCSD transportation staff and lots of smiles shared with Jennifer and her team.

“My time at CCSD transportation department was invaluable,” Vobis told STN.
“During my tenure, I grew both professionally and personally. I hold deep gratitude for colleagues and staff for their hard work and dedication. I wish only the best to those who continue the important work of transporting students. The work they do is critical and under-appreciated.”

Vobis helped to create and define the new transportation lead position for Amber Rideout, Vobis’ former assistant director of transportation who was promoted to the district’s assistant superintendent of transportation.

Learn more about Vobis and her story in the November 2022 issue of School Transportation News.

Related: WATCH: 2022 Transportation Director of the Year, Jennifer Vobis
Related: Inside a Transportation Director’s Mind
Related: Transportation Director of Year Panel Discusses Transporting Students with Special Needs

The post WATCH: Day in the Life of Jennifer Vobis appeared first on School Transportation News.

Ryan and Tony analyze headlines including Lion Electric’s reduction of electric school bus manufacturing, technology provider Zonar’s acquisition by GPS Trackit, and what such developments mean for the industry.

T.J. Reed, the new president and CEO of Thomas Built Buses, joins us to discuss his vision for the company and exciting future innovations.

Join us at STN EXPO Charlotte for an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the Thomas Built Buses C2 Plant in High Point, N.C. Learn more at stnexpo.com/east.

Read more about leadership.

This episode is brought to you by Transfinder.

Conversation with Thomas Built Buses.

Message from Zonar.

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The post (STN Podcast E238) Time Will Tell: Shakeups in the School Bus Business World (+ Thomas Built Buses CEO Interview) appeared first on School Transportation News.

Safety lessons the industry can learn from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s National Loading & Unloading Survey and illegal school bus passing report to Congress, as well as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse recommendations.

Joshua Wilson, former transportation director, national director of student transportation for Specialized Education Services, and a 2024 STN Rising Star, leverages his expertise in driver training to analyze the school bus driver shortage, alternative transportation, and more.

Read more about leadership.

This episode is brought to you by Transfinder.

Message from School-Radio.

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The post (STN Podcast E237) Lives in Our Hands: Danger Zone Safety, Rising Star Talks Driver Training appeared first on School Transportation News.

Keynote trainers and conversations at the TSD Conference and Trade Show last week focused on seeing students with special needs as people first and consistently supporting them in their distinctive requirements.

“I always ask: ‘Is this in the best interest of the kid?’” Dana Rosen, TSD keynote speaker and assistant director of transportation services for student safety and support for Cypress-Fairbanks ISD in Texas, shares how she uses her special education background to support both transportation staff and students with special needs on the school bus ride.

Read more about special needs.

This episode is brought to you by Transfinder.

Message from School-Radio.

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The post (STN Podcast E236) TSD 2024 Recap: Supporting Students with Special Needs as Unique People appeared first on School Transportation News.

John Daniels, vice president of marketing at Transfinder, talked with Tony Corpin at the 2024 Transporting Students with Disabilities and Special Needs (TSD) Conference about how Transfinder’s technology offerings can help streamline operations for student transporters, specifically when transporting students with special needs.

Related: TSD Panelists Empower Student Transportation with Technology
Related: WATCH: TSD 2024 Recap
Related: WATCH: First Student at TSD 2024

The post WATCH: Transfinder at TSD 2024 appeared first on School Transportation News.

Tony Corpin sat down with Laura Greene-Halley, First Student’s senior director of student services, to discuss the company’s “First Serves” program that is designed to partner with transportation to create an successful learning environment for students with special needs and disabilities.

Related: WATCH: TSD 2024 Recap
Related: (STN Podcast E235) Onsite at TSD 2024: Solving Pain Points for Students with Special Needs
Related: TSD Panelists Empower Student Transportation with Technology

The post WATCH: First Student at TSD 2024 appeared first on School Transportation News.

STN Publisher and President Tony Corpin sat down with a few special guests at this week’s Transporting Students with Disabilities & Special Needs (TSD) Conference and Trade Show.

Gregg Prettyman, vice president of FirstAlt by contractor First Student, shares the program’s successes in serving students with special needs or disabilities and dispels myths about the alternative transportation industry.

Mike Ippolito, general manager of School Radio by Diga-Talk, shares how product developments like a new Wi-Fi-enabled radio can increase school bus connectivity and student safety.

Transfinder’s Vice President of Marketing John Daniels and client Annette “Kecia” Ling, transportation director of operations and planning for Savannah-Chatham County Public School System in Georgia, discuss leveraging technology to provide uniquely customized transportation service for students with special needs.

Hear soundbites from some of our attendees as they share what they found useful amid the learning, training and networking at the TSD Conference and Trade Show.

Read more about special needs.

This episode is brought to you by Transfinder.

Message from School Radio.

Stream, subscribe and download the School Transportation Nation podcast on Apple Podcasts, Deezer, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and YouTube.

The post (STN Podcast E235) Onsite at TSD 2024: Solving Pain Points for Students with Special Needs appeared first on School Transportation News.

The 2024 Transporting Students with Disabilities and Special Needs (TSD) Conference in Frisco, Texas featured a full schedule of educational sessions, empowering keynotes, hands-on training, a product demonstration and onsite Ride and Drive event and more! Check out these daily recap videos from the conference.

Related: Mulick Returns to TSD Conference with Keys to Unlocking Autism
Related: Special Education Attorney Navigates Legal Bumps in the Road for Student Transporters
Related: Texas Team Takes Home Roadeo Crown at TSD Conference

The post WATCH: TSD 2024 Recap appeared first on School Transportation News.

School bus seat belt legislation is back in Congress. STN’s November issue includes features on industry leadership, EV battery technology, and more.

“We find a way to make it happen.” Craig Beaver, administrator of transportation for Beaverton School District near Portland, Oregon, and the 2024 STN Transportation Director of the Year, discusses the paths that led him to his current storied leadership position, as well as the knowledge and technology that goes into school bus driver retention and clean bus trailblazing.

Read more about leadership.

This episode is brought to you by Transfinder.

Message from School Radio.

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The post (STN Podcast E234) Leadership, Awarded: Meet the 2024 Transportation Director of the Year appeared first on School Transportation News.

Ryan & Tony look at contractor First Student’s bus technology experiments, the upcoming elections, a New York bus company’s fraud scheme, a bus driver’s book on anxiety for student riders, and additional safety efforts.

Amy Rosa, director of transportation for Wa-Nee Community Schools in Indiana, talks winning a Top Transportation Teams award at STN EXPO Reno in July, driver retention efforts, technology implementation, effective student safety practices, and success with electric buses.

Read more about operations.

This episode is brought to you by Transfinder.

Stream, subscribe and download the School Transportation Nation podcast on Apple Podcasts, Deezer, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and YouTube.

The post (STN Podcast E233) Fraud in New York & Cohesive Indiana ‘Top Transportation Team’ appeared first on School Transportation News.

Saint Paul Public Schools in Minnesota released a video for National School Bus Safety Week that took viewers on a behind the scenes tour of their transportation department and showed how each member of the team is dedicated to the safety of the student riders.

Related: WATCH: South Carolina District Highlights Emergency Training
Related: Community Collaboration Drives County’s Expansion of School Bus Safety Week
Related: What Do School Bus Drivers Want to Increase Safety?

The post WATCH: Minnesota District Features Transportation Department appeared first on School Transportation News.

An Economic Policy Institute study shows that school bus driver employment is still far below pre-pandemic levels. This means almost every district will likely face a driver shortage at some point. But the good news is that there are several strategies districts can try, either on their own or by combining different approaches, to tackle these challenges.

Join us to explore practical approaches for dealing with a driver (or bus) shortage, including:

• Student eligibility management
• Route tiering/bell schedule alignment
• Route/stop optimization

Brought to you by TransAct

REGISTER BELOW:

Presenters:

Duane Peterson
Transportation Director
Jackson County Schools
–
President
Georgia Association for Pupil Transportation (GAPT)

Peterson started driving a school bus in 1986 while he was still in high school, where he drove for several years in the Athens, Georgia, area. After completing secondary school, he did his student teaching at Alps Road Elementary. He entered the private sector for several years before joining Oconee County Schools in 2005. He was Route Coordinator for a year before moving to Director of Transportation. He stayed there before joining Jackson County Schools in March of 2023 as Transportation Director, where he is still employed. Peterson is currently on the Executive Board of GAPT and a member of NASDPTS. He is married with 3 children and one grandchild with one more on the way.

Adrian Frierson
Director of Transportation
Hanover County Public Schools

Hanover County Public Schools has approximately 17,000 students and 24 schools operating within 2 tiers. They employ 190 bus drivers and 70 other support staff & administrative staff. Hanover County is located within the Greater Richmond Region.

Adrian Frierson is also an appointed board member, by the Governor, to the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities. He has 20 years of experience in the public safety and school transportation combined.

Previous experiences include:
– Supervisor of Bus Operations for Prince William County Public Schools
– Assistant Director of Student Transportation, Special Education, Chesterfield County Public Schools
– Transportation Specialist at the Virginia Department of Education
– Transportation Supervisor for Henrico Public Schools
– Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officer, VA State Police.

Tammy Cook
Senior Transportation Advisor
TransAct Communications

Before joining the TransACT team, Cook founded the App-Garden and led her team to create the Travel Tracker field trip product. She has worked extensively with K-12 school districts for over 30 years in finance and school transportation.

“I love helping school districts solve their daily challenges with the use of our technology and experienced personnel. Each district has their own challenges and helping to navigate those challenges Is the favorite part of my job,” Cook says.

The post (Free Webinar) Addressing Driver (& Bus) Shortages: 3 Creative and Measurable Strategies that Really Work appeared first on School Transportation News.

Read remembrances of industry veteran George Edward (Ed) Donn and watch recent STN webinars on fleet electrification and school bus W-Fi.

The upcoming Transporting Students with Disabilities & Special Needs (TSD) Conference and Trade Show held Nov. 8-12, 2024 in Dallas-Frisco, Texas, hosts the conversations that transportation and education departments need to align on regarding students with special needs.

Industry consultant and TSD Tenured Faculty member Launi Schmutz-Harden joins us to discuss the role of monitors and aides on special needs routes, the hands-on emergency evacuation training at TSD, and regulating the use of non-yellow bus transportation.

Read more about special needs.

This episode is brought to you by Transfinder.

Message from IC Bus. 

Message from Propane Education & Research Council.

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The post (STN Podcast E232) What Districts Need to Know: Serving & Guiding Students With Special Needs appeared first on School Transportation News.

Greenville County Schools in South Carolina released this video showing a bus evacuation drill at Duncan Chapel Elementary School. The video featured members of the district’s transportation team explaining the importance of frequent emergency trainings.

Related: Safety in the Danger Zone
Related: Roadeo Returns to Texas for Hands-On Emergency Training at TSD Conference
Related: In Case of an Emergency

The post WATCH: South Carolina District Highlights Emergency Training appeared first on School Transportation News.

Ryan and Tony analyze Hurricanes Helene and Milton’s impact on Florida and recap the news and awards shared at the National Association for Pupil Transportation Conference & Trade Show.

Transfinder CEO Antonio Civitella discusses leveraging technology and teamwork for school bus operations and emergency preparedness.

Read more about operations and weather.

This episode is brought to you by Transfinder.

Message from IC Bus. 

Message from Propane Education & Research Council.

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The post (STN Podcast E231) Come Together: Florida Hurricane Fallout, NAPT Conference Recap appeared first on School Transportation News.

Updates on the catastrophic Hurricane Helene’s impact on lives and business in the Southeastern U. S. Additionally, see how Virginia is tackling the school bus driver shortage.

Waterloo Central School District in New York won a Top Transportation Teams award at STN EXPO West this summer. Transportation Supervisor D’Allah Laffoon discusses recovering from COVID-19-era operations, fostering teamwork, planning for electric school buses, starting school, and dealing with the driver shortage.

Read more about operations.

This episode is brought to you by Transfinder.

Message from IC Bus. 

Message from Propane Education & Research Council.

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The post (STN Podcast E230) Ingredients for Success: Driver Retention & N.Y. District Teambuilding appeared first on School Transportation News.

Ryan & Tony examine the newly released fourth round of EPA Clean School Bus funding in light of how the school bus industry is responding to clean bus money. Additionally, STN’s October magazine on leadership is out, California passed a student cell phone ban, and Hurricane Helene impacts the southeastern U.S.

Betsey Helfrich, special education lawyer and upcoming TSD Conference keynote speaker, joins Ryan for a lively discussion with perspectives on current stories, trends and legal developments that student transporters should know when providing care to students with special needs.

Read more about special needs.

This episode is brought to you by Transfinder.

Message from IC Bus

Message from Propane Education & Research Council.

Stream, subscribe and download the School Transportation Nation podcast on Apple Podcasts, Deezer, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and YouTube.

The post (STN Podcast E229) October Updates: Green Funding, Cellphone Bans & Special Needs Legalities appeared first on School Transportation News.

School bus electrification in the US has come a long way in the past decade, with especially robust growth in the past two years. School districts across the nation have committed to purchasing more than 12,000 electric buses, and there are over 3,500 already on the road.

Though broadly positive, these results don’t tell the whole story. In fact, districts vary widely in their progress on the fleet electrification journey. Those in the earliest stages are working on obtaining buy-in and making sense of constantly evolving funding incentive programs. Those that have ordered vehicles must carefully time and plan the deployment of supportive infrastructure. And those that already have vehicles in operation are navigating energy cost management and resiliency challenges.

This new webinar sponsored by ENGIE North America will update K-12 fleet professionals on the current state of bus fleet electrification, explore technical requirements, and help prepare business cases for each stage of the journey.

Drawing on a long history of providing eMobility and other sustainable energy solutions to K-12 districts, ENGIE experts will share:

• A breakdown of adoption rates and trends: national, regional, and equity-focused
• A review of recent and upcoming incentive programs, with application windows
• Challenges and best practices for each fleet electrification stage
• Case studies on deployments of eMobility infrastructure, including the latest trend in K-12: sustainable microgrids

Brought to you by ENGIE North America

REGISTER BELOW:

Presenters:

Marcus Gilmore
Senior Advisor, Clean Mobility Strategy
ENGIE North America

Gilmore has over a decade of experience in the clean energy sector, leading impactful sustainability initiatives for corporations, cities, and governments. At ENGIE, he works with organizations to develop and implement strategies for transitioning to zero-emission vehicle fleets and other clean energy solutions. Previously, Gilmore led multiple state and utility market transformation programs accelerating electric vehicle adoption, charging infrastructure deployment, and medium/heavy-duty vehicle fleet electrification. He holds a MS in PR and Corporate Communications from NYU and an MSc in Major Program Management from the University of Oxford.

Neal Bartek
Project Director, Microgrids
ENGIE North America

Bartek has more than 20 years’ experience leading diverse, cross-functional teams to success in projects across varied domains such as distributed energy resources (DER), IT, and traditional utility infrastructure including pioneering microgrid and advanced energy storage projects. Prior to ENGIE, he held multiple roles at San Diego Gas & Electric. He holds a BS in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Cornell University.

The post (Free Webinar) Current State of School Bus Electrification: Adoption Rates, Emerging Trends & Challenges appeared first on School Transportation News.

Jeff Cassell, industry veteran and president of the School Bus Safety Company, joins Tony and Ryan to take a look at recent injuries and fatalities around school buses, and what the industry can do to improve student safety.

Read more about safety and get your free copy of the School Bus Safety Company’s Danger Zones bus driver training program.

This episode is brought to you by Transfinder.

Message from Propane Education & Research Council.

Message from Zenobe

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The post (STN Podcast E228) Freedom From Risk: How Districts Can Protect Students in the School Bus Danger Zone appeared first on School Transportation News.