Wendy Mendez (back row right, holding cup) receives an employee of the year acknowledgment in 2025. (Screenshot | Oshkosh Area School District YouTube video.)
An Oshkosh middle school teacher has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In a statement, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed that on Oct. 14, ICE arrested Wendy Mendez, a Spanish teacher at the Vel Phillips Middle School in Oshkosh.
The spokesperson said that Mendez entered the United States in August 2020 “on a temporary basis, but in violation of our laws, failed to depart by Feb. 9, 2021.” The statement continues that on Feb. 18, 2026, Mendez was “placed into removal proceedings, and on Sept. 9, was ordered removed by an immigration judge for failing to show up for her removal proceedings. She received due process and will remain in custody pending her removal from the United States.”
DHS did not clarify the type of visa or permit which Mendez may have had during her time in the United States. Although President Donald Trump campaigned on sending ICE to apprehend “the worst of the worst,” Mendez appears to be the latest example of someone who does not fit that description. A check of online court records showed that the only thing linked to Mendez were divorce proceedings, suggesting that she has no criminal record.
Wendy Mendez receives an employee of the year acknowledgment in 2025. (Screenshot | Oshkosh Area School District YouTube video.)
Reports about Mendez’s detention first emerged on social media. Facebook posts by someone who said she is a friend of Mendez’s described Mendez as a woman of Afro-Caribbean descent who was raised in Costa Rica, and who moved to Oshkosh six years ago with her husband and two sons. The posts claim that one of her sons has Down syndrome and doesn’t understand why his mother is missing. The post states that Mendez had no knowledge of her deportation proceedings because notices from the court were sent to an old address. The post claims that while in detention, Mendez was placed in solitary confinement and made to sleep on concrete floors and mold-covered beds. According to the post, Mendez was deported after being moved among multiple detention facilities in different states without having the opportunity to appear before an immigration judge.
Mendez’s story was first reported by the independent University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh student newspaper, the Advance-Titan.
A spokesperson for Voces de la Frontera, an immigrant rights group that runs a statewide network to verify ICE activity, told the Examiner that the group had not received any information about the case.
The Facebook posts mention details about Mendez that later appeared in official statements from DHS and the school district. However, the original poster has not responded to Wisconsin Examiner’s requests for comment.
Federal immigration officers at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in March (Photo by Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)
In an emailed statement, the Oshkosh Area School District confirmed that Mendez “is an employee in good standing who has been placed on an unpaid leave of absence due to unforeseen circumstances.” A district spokesperson added that “at no point was this a school safety or performance-related issue. Our primary focus remains on supporting our students and staff and keeping learning moving forward in our classrooms.”
On Monday, the district sent a letter to the families of students about Mendez, saying that although it normally follows privacy laws regarding employee matters, “this situation has become public and is felt across the community. We are sharing this update directly to address her absence, reduce uncertainty, and outline the support available.” The letter reiterates that Mendez has been placed on unpaid leave due to “unforeseen circumstances,” and that she was in good standing with the district. “The district is working through the process of obtaining more details and will provide more information if we are able.”
The letter explains that students in Mendez’s class were informed of her absence last Tuesday. “We know this situation brings heartbreak, frustration, and worry for many in our community,” the letter states. “Additionally, whenever a sudden absence occurs, it naturally brings up questions or concerns for students. Our primary responsibility is to ensure every student feels safe, supported, and grounded.”
School counselors and support staff are being made available to listen to students, and help them process what’s happening.
Mendez was named employee of the year last year by the Oshkosh Area School District. A video posted to the district’s YouTube page showed a surprised Mendez receiving a balloon and coffee thermos as her students applauded.
A masked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent knocks on a car window in Minnesota. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)
“We are keeping Mrs. Mendez and her loved ones in our thoughts during this difficult time,” the letter states. “If you feel your child needs additional support during the day, please contact our Vel Phillips Middle School counseling office directly.” The letter is signed by Oshkosh Area School District Superintendent Dr. Bryan Davis, and Vel Phillips Middle School Principal Amanda Patza.
Oshkosh is situated in Winnebago County, where the sheriff’s office is part of the 287(g) program which deputizes local law enforcement to participate in immigration enforcement and detention. Since last January, ICE has reported 25 arrests in Winnebago County, almost all of which originated from the jail, Wisconsin Watch reported.
In September during a town hall meeting, Sheriff John Matz said that his office’s participation in 287(g) “needs to continue.” Matz said, however, that he isn’t interested in street enforcement or in renting jail beds to ICE. This year, voters will decide whether to support Matz or his Democratic opponent Jason Ripple, a patrol officer. Ripple told Wisconsin Watch that he would void the 287(g) program, stating that the program “may be an open door for additional involvement with (ICE)…and I think that by any modern law enforcement standards, we’ve seen pretty clearly that their tactics are sloppy.”
School districts nationwide are assessing how the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education (ED), including workforce cuts and interagency agreements (IAAs), could affect school transportation service and funding. While full closure requires full congressional approval, which hadn’t occurred at this publication, a majority of its core duties have been reassigned to other federal agencies.
Civil rights and student privacy functions have moved to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), while special education functions tied to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) have shifted in part to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Prior to the formation of ED by Congress in 1979, the precursor to IDEA, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, as well as other federal education initiatives operated within the Department of Health, Education and Welfare.
Rosalyn Vann-Jackson, the chief support services officer for Broken Arrow Public Schools in Oklahoma and NAPT Region 4 director, said the impact is difficult to predict. But it could disrupt continuity of services and increase existing challenges.
Transportation as a related service under IDEA is already severely underfunded, she said, even as the number of students requiring specialized transportation continues to increase locally and nationally while specialized transportation gets expensive.
The IAAs “may cause us to not focus on ramping up that service that is needed in an existing challenge we have in funding,” Vann-Jackson said, adding the same is true of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, which continues to operate within ED.
School transportation is a significant indicator of educational outcomes regarding equity for students, Vann-Jackson noted, adding “attendance is critical for our families in light of the economy and challenges we are experiencing.
While there may be a loss of institutional knowledge, there are opportunities through a new set of eyes and lens to those challenges and a greater opportunity to engage industry experts, Vann-Jackson said.
Industry experts Vann-Jackson cites include School Transportation News’ Transporting Students with Disabilities & Special Needs conference, the National Association for Pupil Transportation, the National School Transportation Association, and the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services.
“Many of these organizations have political or organizational advocacy committees tied into legislative efforts at the federal level,” she said, noting the best approach for districts is to stay engaged and diplomatically voice concerns.
Special education attorney Julie Weatherly observed it is difficult to assess the impact moving the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to the DOJ will have on students with disabilities, given significant staffing reductions as well as the closure of seven OCR regional offices with no specific plans as to how the changes will work.
“While OCR has allowed for significant backlogs in complaint resolution to accumulate over time, my experience working with OCR in the Section 504 complaint process has traditionally involved a more administrative and collaborative approach focused on resolution and remedies for a specific student, rather than the more litigious and broader approach often utilized by DOJ,” said Weatherly, who keynotes next month’s TSD Conference.
She emphasized transportation departments serving students with disabilities may face DOJ investigative procedures examining systemic violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 complaints referred by OCR and filed more like a class-action lawsuit.
“DOJ traditionally will ask for all kinds of district-wide information through deposition-style interviews, extensive records, data review requests and on-site visits and observations during its investigations with a much more heavy-handed approach,” she explained. “Transportation departments should conduct internal audits of their practices, policies and procedures regarding transportation of students with disabilities to ensure they are aligned with the nondiscrimination requirements of the ADA and Section 504.”
Departments should be prepared to respond to student and staff safety issues, discipline, appropriate supervision, student and staff-based bullying and harassment, service animal transportation, and the provision of equitable, timely, and appropriate and required accommodations and transportation services to students with disabilities in accordance with their IEPs and 504 plans, she added.
“They also need to ensure documentation of compliant practices, policies and procedures and implementation thereof exists and is ready if ever requested,”
Weatherly said, sharing that legal counsel should be sought to assist in an internal review as well as if an OCR complaint is filed in order to prepare for addressing and responding appropriately to DOJ’s enforcement process.
Glenna Wright-Gallo, a former assistant secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services at ED and current vice president of strategic research and policy for adaptive technologies provider Everway, noted while the entitlement doesn’t change, the June 2026 IAA moving IDEA Parts B, C, and D operations from ED’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS) to HHS introduces “real friction risk on the administrative side.”
Under the IAA, HHS is supporting specified IDEA administrative functions including grant administration, monitoring-related work, data functions and fund drawdowns, she noted.
“ED retains statutory authority and ultimate responsibility for IDEA oversight, policy and enforcement functions,” Wright-Gallo added. “For districts, that means a new point of contact and a new system learning curve at exactly the point where transportation directors need fast answers on allowable uses, reimbursement timing and compliance questions.”
There is recent precedent for this kind of disruption. The Career and Technical Education and adult education programs Perkins V and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Youth Program Title II moved to the Department of Labor (DOL) in the first pilot IAA in May 2025 and again when Every Student Succeeds Act Title I, Title II-A, and Title IV-A followed in November 2025, Wright-Gallo noted.
“Rural school leaders reported receiving funds roughly two months late because DOL’s grant system did not recognize state education agencies’ existing bank accounts, which was a basic onboarding failure,” she added. “That same category of risk applies to the fiscal year 2027 transition of IDEA grants into HHS’ GrantSolutions and Payment Management System. Fiscal year 2026 awards remain in ED’s G5 system for now, so delays are not imminent.”
She noted three compounding factors raise the odds of delay or confusion, including reduced technical assistance capacity, mixed federal messaging and staffing shortages, including among school bus drivers.
While the legal right to transportation as a related service hasn’t changed, Wright-Gallo said the risk is delay through a slower drawdown of IDEA funds, a teacher’s aide request backlog, or a rocky fiscal year 2027 systems transition. That could push back the purchase of adapted vehicles, hiring and training of aides, or approval of specialized routes tied to a student’s IEP.
Wright-Gallo noted while federal restructuring has changed the operational home of programs, federal staffing, and the movement of grant systems and guidance for some non-students with disabilities, those changes do not alter IDEA, Section 504 or McKinney-Vento requirements.
She noted the McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program was not transferred by any IAA. A separate proposal to fold it into an 18-program block grant and reduce funding from $6.5 billion to roughly two billion dollars was not adopted during the fiscal year 2026 appropriations process, but it may emerge in fiscal year 2027 negotiations.
The open question is whether the agencies now responsible for grant administration and oversight can maintain the same pace and consistency ED built up over time, particularly during the fiscal year 2027 systems transition, Wright-Gallo noted.
“For transportation and special education staff, that translates into a practical planning task of confirming current federal contacts and grant-system requirements, rather than a change in what students are entitled to,” she added.
Wright-Gallo said states carry independent IDEA monitoring responsibilities regardless of federal restructuring, adding it gives states “a natural role in backstopping any reduction in direct federal oversight, although how well that works in practice depends on each state agency’s staff capacity.”
Addressing where documentation gaps actually occur, Wright-Gallo noted the recurring pattern is information loss at handoff points, not generally due
to gaps in the law itself.
Wright-Gallo said there are six funding streams beyond the standard pupil transportation budget that districts may consistently leave on the table, thus an eligible student may not receive a transportation support for which they
otherwise qualify.
They include state-administered reimbursement for health-related services delivered to Medicaid-eligible students, which requires billing infrastructure most districts haven’t built specifically for transportation.
Others include 21st Century Community Learning Centers, vocational rehabilitation, WIOA Title I, Part A and Impact Aid, Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title VII.
Wright-Gallo suggested districts confirm allowability with the relevant administering entity before obligating funds.
“Administrative oversight for several of these programs has moved to new federal agencies as part of ongoing restructuring at the Department of Education,” she said. “Program eligibility and allowable uses for students have not changed as a result.”
Wright-Gallo noted there are 15 funding sources that can support transportation a district provides to get students to and from school or school-related services and can be used alongside the district’s transportation cost data to identify which streams are already captured and which may be worth exploring for students who currently lack an adequate transportation solution.
They include IDEA Part B Section 611, the McKinneyVento Homeless Assistance Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection EPA Clean School Bus Program, the EPA Diesel Emissions Reduction Act, and the Federal Highway Administration Safe Routes to School/Transportation Alternatives Program.
Others include ESEA Title I Part A, ESEA Title II Part A, ESEA Title IV Part A, 21st Century Community Learning Centers (Title IV-B), Impact Aid (ESEA Title VII), Medicaid School-Based Services, IDEA Travel Training (34 CFR §300.39) / VR / WIOA Youth, state categorical funding, state funding formula inclusion, and state reimbursement of district costs.
Alexandra Robinson, president of A. Robinson Consulting and a former NAPT president, noted the most obvious issue is that HHS focuses on a medical perspective.
“When we are educating and transporting students with disabilities, we want to focus on an educational perspective,” said the TSD Conference Tenured Faculty member. “We’ve been lucky enough to have a team of people at the [ED], in the office of special education programs, whose expertise is education, instructional interventions, and assisting states and local entities with technical assistance.
“This will either not exist in that same way or be extremely lacking. For large urban school districts and in states where there is strong accountability and oversight, things may be okay. But in those places where we already have issues with equitability and numerous cases of IEP and IDEA violations, there will be no incentive for any ongoing accountability, especially if the Office of Civil Rights does not exist as it does now.”
Robinson noted McKinney-Vento is now covered under the Every Student Succeeds Act.
“In those states and districts where there is a strong liaison dealing with students who are homeless or temporarily housed, it should be business as usual,” she said, adding the unfunded mandate and reduced federal oversight may mean students are missing necessary, instructional minutes and classroom time because of lack of ownership, responsibility and a sense of urgency at the local levels.
“It’s easy to let administrative noise stand in for a change in obligation when it isn’t one,” added Wright-Gallo. “Our responsibility, professionally, is to hold that line: To keep documentation, training and coordination tight enough that a shift in who processes a grant never becomes a gap in what a student actually receives.
“It’s a reminder of why this work matters in the first place,” she continued. “The bus that shows up on time, the aide who knows a student’s behavior plan, the ride that gets a homeless student back to the only school that still feels like home, aren’t abstracts of policy. They’re the daily, unglamorous proof that the laws are doing what they were written to do.”
Editor’s Note: As reprinted from the October 2026 issue of School Transportation News.
DENVER, Colo.- Diesel prices reached a record high this fall, and many school districts that built their budgets around last year’s fuel costs are now absorbing the difference. The U.S. average price of on-highway diesel peaked at $6.529 a gallon the week of Sept. 21 and stood at $6.199 the week of Oct. 5, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). That is about 69% above the 2025 average of $3.66.
EverDriven, a category leader in Modern Student Transportation, is showing how a routine route review can turn fuel volatility into a measurable budget opportunity for districts. Consider an example of a district operating 120 daily bus routes with an average route length of 35 miles per day round trip. This calculation uses the following baseline:
Bus fuel economy of 6 miles per gallon, typical for a diesel school bus.
Diesel at $6.199 per gallon, the EIA national average for the week of Oct. 5, 2026.
A 10% reduction in routes by right-sizing service to actual daily ridership.
Consolidating routes by 10% alone could reduce annual diesel fuel costs by more than $78,000 annually:
10% of 120 routes = 12 routes consolidated.12 routes x 35 miles = 420 fewer miles driven per day.420 miles / 6 mpg =
70 gallons of diesel saved per day.70 gallons x $6.199 =
$433.93 saved per school day. $433.93 x 180 school days = $78,107.40 in annual diesel savings.
“This scenario counts fuel only. Running fewer routes also reduces tire wear, maintenance, and driver salary and overtime, so the full return for a district would likely be higher,” said Greg Jackson, General Manager of Consolidated Routing Services at EverDriven. “Because each mile optimized saves a fixed amount of fuel, the value of a leaner route plan rises with fuel prices. When prices ease, the efficiency carries forward into every future budget cycle.”
Route consolidation matches the number of routes a district runs to the number of students riding each day. Enrollment patterns have shifted in many communities, and route plans built for past ridership often go years without a full review. A well-planned consolidation keeps every eligible student on a route.
Districts that have adopted this model have seen route costs decrease by up to 15%, along with measurable improvements in on-time performance and reduced ride times for students with additional needs. Consolidated Routing Services complements EverDriven’s Alternative Student Transportation offering, which serves students that fixed routes cannot efficiently reach.
About EverDriven
EverDriven delivers modern student-centered transportation that’s safe, consistent, and built for those who need it most. EverDriven specializes in routing and transporting students across all ranges of needs — from everyday support to the most complex circumstances — including students with disabilities, students experiencing housing instability, and other high-need populations. Serving more than 800 districts across 38 states, the company completed more than 2.1 million successful trips in the 2025–26 school year. EverDriven’s deeply human, fully compliant, and AI-powered approach helps districts get students on the road in hours, not days, while maintaining consistent, high-trust rides that complement traditional yellow bus fleets. For more information, visit everdriven.com.
School bus service was disrupted after multiple buses were reportedly vandalized at a contractor Durham School Services’ transportation lot over the holiday weekend, reported CBS News.
The Schenectady Police Department said Tuesday that officers responded at approximately 5:40 a.m. after Durham officials reported that multiple school buses had been damaged at its facility.
At least two school buses at the lot reportedly had damaged windows with what appeared to be impact marks, possibly caused by rocks or another object. Police said the vandalism likely occurred sometime during the holiday weekend.
According to the news report, the Schenectady City School District described the damage as severe and said it affected Durham’s entire fleet, preventing the transportation contractor from operating its regularly scheduled morning routes.
The district reportedly notified families of the disruption Tuesday morning and advised parents and guardians that morning transportation would be unavailable. It did not immediately specify how many buses were damaged, how many routes were affected, or the estimated cost of repairs.
Despite the morning cancellations, the district said Durham would provide afternoon transportation for all students who normally receive school bus service.
All after-school programs were also expected to operate as scheduled, with transportation available to participating students.
However, the district warned families that buses could arrive later than usual because of the vandalism and resulting operational changes. “We are asking for your patience as buses may be arriving at stops later than expected,” the district stated via the article.
The Schenectady Police Department is investigating the incident. No information about potential suspects or arrests was immediately available.
The district did not indicate whether surveillance footage captured the vandalism or whether additional buses would be brought in to restore normal service. It also had not announced whether regular morning routes were expected to resume Wednesday.
Families were encouraged to monitor communications from the district for additional transportation updates. Further information about the investigation and the extent of the fleet damage was not immediately released.
Andres Chait took the dais July 22 in front of his “family,” who he said he needed not to introduce himself to as Los Angeles Unified School District’s new superintendent. That is because he has worked at the nation’s second-largest, K-12 public school district for the past two decades, first as a Kindergarten teacher then a principal and in various leadership positions before assuming the role of chief of school operations in 2022.
As such, he oversaw student transportation. A school bus guy of sorts, Chait was named the full-time superintendent of schools after serving in an interim role amid an FBI probe of his former boss, Alberto Carvalho, for alleged acceptance of gifts from a technology vendor, unreported travel and undisclosed side income.
Los Angeles Unified School District named Andres Chait its latest superintendent in June.
School Transportation News caught up with Chait before the start of the new school year and days before he gave his Opening of Schools Address 2026. He spoke there about the need to put students at the center of every decision by staying grounded in collected values and unified in purpose.
First, he shared with STN his outlook on student transportation and its role in educational access and helping to address the school district’s mounting financial challenges.
STN: How does your background in overseeing the operational side of LAUSD shape the way you’ll lead the district differently than someone who solely came from an academic or instructional rolel?
Chait: I’ve been fortunate to lead both instructional and operational teams throughout my career, and I’ve come to believe those two worlds are inseparable. Great instruction can only happen when the systems that support our schools are working well.
Whether it’s transportation, nutrition, technology, facilities or school operations, every function exists to support teaching and learning. My leadership approach is grounded in making sure our schools have reliable, efficient systems so principals and teachers can focus on students. Every operational decision ultimately should
answer one question: How does this improve the experience and outcomes for our students?
STN: Two main reasons cited by the school board for your hire are budget deficits and declining student enrollment. What does stability of budget and enrollment look like to you over the next two school years, and how does transportation factor in?
Chait: Stability means making thoughtful decisions that protect the classroom while putting the district on solid financial footing for the future. That requires careful stewardship of public resources, continuous improvement and investing where we know it makes the greatest difference for students.
Transportation is an important part of that strategy. Families need confidence that their children can get to school safely and reliably. When transportation is dependable, it supports attendance, strengthens trust with families and makes our schools more accessible. As we continue to adapt to changing enrollment patterns, we’ll continue looking for ways to deliver excellent service while operating efficiently and responsibly.
Transportation as a Strategic Function STN: What surprised you most about student transportation once you began overseeing it?
Chait: The scale and complexity. Every day we’re coordinating thousands of students across a district that spans more than 700 square miles. It requires constant coordination, planning and communication.
Beyond scale, the complexity of operating approximately 1,300 school buses, including about 250 electric school buses sourced from multiple manufacturers running across roughly 1,400 routes and serving about 28,000 students daily. The district provides free, universal transportation to all students through its Transportation for All initiative, removing socioeconomic barriers to access. All buses are equipped with GPS technology, allowing parents and administrators to track buses in real time through a Parent Portal, supporting both safety and operational reliability.
Most importantly, what continues to stand out to me is the dedication of our transportation employees. They are often the first district employees a student sees in the morning and the last before they return home. They play an important role in creating a safe and welcoming experience for students every day.
STN: Many people think of transportation simply as a cost center. From your perspective, what value does an effective transportation department create for students and the district?
Chait: Transportation is a student service. It removes barriers to learning. Reliable transportation helps students arrive safely, consistently and ready to learn. It expands access to educational opportunities and supports students with disabilities, students experiencing homelessness and others who rely on transportation to attend school. When transportation works well, it builds families’ confidence in the school system.
STN: What transportation performance metrics do you personally pay the most attention to?
Chait: Safety remains our top priority. Beyond that, we monitor ridership, on-time performance, service reliability, ride times, staffing levels and customer responsiveness. We also track data that tells us whether our transportation system is helping students consistently access school. No single metric tells the whole story. We look at the overall experience for students and families and continuously identify opportunities to improve.
STN: Is transportation discussed primarily as an operational department or as part of academic strategy?
Chait: It’s both. Transportation is certainly an operational function, but its impact reaches well beyond operations. If students cannot get to school consistently, they’re missing instructional time. Reliable transportation supports attendance, engagement and equitable access to educational opportunities. That’s why transportation is part of broader conversations about student success.
STN: LAUSD faces budget pressures and declining enrollment. How do you balance the need for fiscal responsibility without reducing transportation access for students who depend on it?
Chait: Our responsibility is to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars while maintaining essential services for students. We continuously evaluate routes, schedules and operational practices to improve efficiency, but our focus remains on protecting student access. Every decision starts with what’s best for students while ensuring we’re operating responsibly and sustainably. Small operational improvements can add up over time, allowing us to better serve students while managing costs responsibly.
Additionally, communicating the work of other government agencies can provide significant resources to our students. For example, LAUSD also partners with LA Metro to provide TK–12 students a free GoPass for unlimited rides on Metro buses, trains, and 17 additional regional transit partners across LA County. The GoPass extends free mobility beyond the school bus system itself.
STN: Are there investments in transportation that save money elsewhere in the district?
Chait: Absolutely. Investments that improve reliability and communication can reduce service disruptions, improve family confidence and support student attendance. When students are in school consistently, everyone benefits. Specifically, diesel fuel price volatility continues to put pressure on the district’s transportation budget.
Los Angeles Unified operates roughly 120 diesel-powered buses, 36 trucks and vehicles, and approximately 220 pieces of diesel-powered equipment, all subject to rising costs. The district’s continued investment in its electric fleet is one strategy for managing long-term cost exposure: Switching a diesel bus to electric can save between $73,000 and $173,000 per unit over its lifetime in fuel and maintenance costs. We evaluate investments not only by their direct financial impact, but also by how they support student access, operational effectiveness and overall service quality.
STN: How do you evaluate the return on investment for transportation beyond dollars and cents?
Chait: We look at safety, reliability, student access, operational efficiency and the confidence families have in our system. Transportation supports our educational mission, so its value extends beyond traditional financial measures.
Sustainability STN: Regarding those electric school buses, what opportunities and challenges has LAUSD experienced?
Chait: Transitioning to a zero-emission fleet is an important investment in both environmental stewardship and student health. Like many districts, we’ve learned that fleet electrification requires significant planning, including charging infrastructure, utility coordination, workforce training and long-term capital investment. Those are complex efforts, but they also position us well for the future.
In 2019, the Board of Education adopted a pledge to significantly reduce dependence on fossil fuels by 2030 and to attain 100-percent renewable energy by 2040. Our work to meet these goals has presented multiple challenges, but our staff have creatively turned these challenges into opportunities to expand student resources, test new technologies, and collaborate with governmental and private partners.
STN: Beyond environmental benefits, have electric buses changed operations or long-term budgeting?
Chait: As our electric fleet continues to expand, we’re gaining valuable experience that will inform long-term planning. Electric buses require a different operational approach, from charging schedules to maintenance practices to infrastructure planning. Over time, those changes have the potential to improve operational efficiency and reduce certain maintenance costs, but thoughtful implementation is essential to realizing those benefits.
LAUSD adopted a pledge to significantly reduce dependence on fossil fuels by 2030 and to attain 100-percent renewable energy by 2040.
As an example, LAUSD recently broke ground on the Sun Valley Bus Garage electrification project, a $72 million investment delivering 180 charging stations, a mix of Level 2 and Level 3 chargers to support 180 electric school buses and an $86 million investment in the fleet itself. The Level 3 chargers include V2G technology, allowing the district to sell stored energy back to the grid during peak demand and charge buses during off-peak hours, helping stabilize the broader grid while reducing costs.
Transportation & Student Success STN: Has LAUSD seen the connection between reliable transportation and attendance?
Chait: Attendance is influenced by many factors, but reliable transportation removes one significant barrier. Our attendance efforts involve multiple departments working together, and transportation is one part of that broader strategy to help students get to school consistently and ready to learn.
STN: How closely do transportation and instructional teams work together?
Chait: Collaboration is essential. Transportation, school operations and our school leaders regularly work together to address challenges that affect student access. When we identify barriers to attendance, we look across departments to determine the most effective solutions.
STN: What role does transportation play in educational equity?
Chait: Transportation helps ensure students can access the educational opportunities available throughout our district regardless of where they live. For many students,
transportation is what makes specialized programs, services and schools accessible. That’s an important part of our commitment to educational equity.
Workforce STN: Driver shortages have challenged districts nationwide. What lessons has LAUSD learned?
Chait: Like many districts, we’ve experienced workforce challenges, but we’ve learned that recruitment and retention require sustained attention. Competitive compensation, professional development, supportive working conditions and recognizing the important role our employees play all contribute to building a strong workforce.
STN: Are there initiatives that have improved recruitment or retention?
Chait: We’ve continued investing in recruitment, training and employee support while looking for ways to streamline hiring and help new employees succeed. Retention is equally important. Supporting employees throughout their careers helps us provide more consistent service for students and families.
STN: Transportation employees often interact with students before and after school each day. How do you view their role?
Chait: They are an important part of our educational community. Bus drivers and transportation staff help create a safe, respectful and welcoming environment. Those daily interactions matter. Students benefit when every adult they encounter demonstrates care, professionalism and a commitment to their well-being.
Technology & Innovation STN: Where do you see the biggest opportunity for technology?
Chait: Technology gives us the opportunity to make transportation more responsive, more efficient and more transparent for families. Whether it’s better routing, improved communication or stronger use of data, technology can help us make informed decisions and continually improve service. This year we are rolling out our Modernization Project: Upgraded GPS, routing, dispatch, tablets, student scanning and interior and exterior cameras. Families can track their students in real-time via the Parent Portal app.
STN: How is LAUSD using routing software, GPS, parent communications and data analytics?
Chait: We’re modernizing several aspects of our transportation operation. This includes implementing enhanced routing and planning tools, expanding GPS capabilities and improving communication with families. These investments will help us provide more accurate information, respond more quickly to changing conditions and improve operational efficiency.
The Parent Portal app provides secure access to valuable district resources. In addition to bus transportation, parents can access grades, attendance, assignments and scores, enrollment info, and food menus. Ultimately, technology should make the experience better for students, families and employees.
STN: Are there operational innovations from transportation that could be applied elsewhere in the district?
Chait: Transportation depends on using real-time information, careful planning and continuous improvement. Those same principles can benefit many areas of the district as we continue building a culture that values data-informed decision-making and excellent customer service.
STN: What role does the union play in approving these initiatives and technology?
Chait: We value our continued partnership with our labor organizations and believe meaningful collaboration leads to better outcomes. As we consider operational
improvements or new technology, we engage employees and labor partners consistent with our collective bargaining agreements and applicable laws. Our shared goal is improving service while supporting the employees who deliver it every day.
Editor’s Note: As reprinted from the September 2026 issue of School Transportation News.
CUMBERLAND, R.I. – From coast to coast, Durham School Services is helping students start the school year strong. Now, the spotlight turns to the East Coast, where the company recently celebrated another successful start-up alongside its longtime partner of 21 years, the Cumberland School Department.
In preparation for the first day of school, Durham’s team and the Cumberland School Department dotted every i and crossed every t. From start-up meetings to safety training and driver refresher courses, these standard procedures were completed flawlessly. While this preparation played a significant role in last month’s success, the true credit, according to Mark Dumont, General Manager, Durham School Services, is “the relationship we’ve built on open communication, collaboration, and our shared commitment to student safety.”
As an important Company value, safety is, without a doubt, the star that guides all of the Durham team’s operating decisions, and this is also true for the Cumberland School Department.
“I work very closely with Durham’s General Manager, Mark, and speak to him frequently,” Tracy Walton, Transportation Coordinator, Cumberland School Department. “We approach everything collaboratively with safety top of mind. This allows us to provide our students and their families with not only the utmost care, but also efficient, effective transportation. I think this year’s start-up was a perfect example of what this type of partnership can achieve.” Cumberland Team
With deep-rooted experience in student transportation dating back to 1917, Durham has helped define best practices in the industry and maintains the keys to service excellence, including proactive communication, teamwork, and elevated safety standards, which have established the Company as a premier transportation provider. By leveraging that century of experience, Durham has continuously implemented effective operations and built long-standing partnerships, like the one with the Cumberland School Department.
“A strong start does not happen by accident. It takes lots of planning, communication, partnership, and a shared commitment to the well-being of the students and families we serve,” said Mark Dumont, General Manager, Durham School Services. “By communicating early and frequently, reviewing the details together, and responding promptly when adjustments are needed, we help ensure that the district stays informed and, in turn, build a greater level of trust with district leaders and the families that depend on us. I am beyond pleased with what my team has accomplished together with the Cumberland School Department and look forward to continuing Durham’s legacy of providing excellent service.”
“I am very proud of the partnership we have established with Durham School Services and the safe, steadfast service we have been able to provide to our students and community. From their drivers, monitors, and staff to the leadership team, Steve, Francisco, and Mark, Durham has shown nothing but the highest regard for ensuring our students are well taken care of and above all, safe while in their care. This commitment, coupled with proactive problem-solving and continuous communication, is why we have enjoyed such success all these years,” said Dr. Philip Thornton, Superintendent of Schools, Cumberland School Department. “I couldn’t ask for a better transportation partner for our district, so thank you, Durham, for all that you do to protect our students’ access to safe, reliable transportation.”
Beyond day-to-day transportation, Durham is also a proud community partner. The team often supports local Touch-a-Truck and Ride-Along events, bringing an iconic yellow bus for children to explore and ride on before the new school year begins. The team has also donated buses to transport children throughout the community for seasonal events and activities such as Halloween celebrations. These efforts and more give Durham the opportunity to build stronger ties with the community and remain the trusted provider the Cumberland School Department and its families have depended on for more than 20 years.
About Durham School Services
As a premier transportation provider, Durham School Services provides safe, reliable student transportation that communities trust and families depend on. With operational discipline, local commitment, proven safety standards, and clear accountability, we bring deep expertise to every route we operate. Driven by our five values: Safety, Care, Transparency, Communities, and Culture, we deliver transportation that works quietly, consistently, and without disruption.
The theft of catalytic converters from 37 school buses at contractor GO Riteway’s Oak Creek facility delayed Monday morning for students in the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District, reported ABC News.
According to the news report, employees discovered the vandalism the morning of Sept. 14 at the company’s Oak Creek facility. The damage left only a couple buses available to operate some routes on schedule, prompting the company and district to notify families of significant delays.
GO Riteway Transportation Group all morning routes were eventually completed. The company secured substitute buses and began moving spare vehicles from its facilities across Wisconsin to Oak Creek.
The district said the plan to run every afternoon route remained on track as replacement vehicles arrived throughout the day. Students who missed school or arrived late because of the disruption had their absence or tardiness marked as school-excused, the district said.
Oak Creek police reportedly released photos of suspects as officers investigated the thefts and vandalism. GO Riteway said it was cooperating with the department.
The company reportedly said the facility and parking lot are fenced and monitored by cameras. School bus lots remain targets for organized theft because catalytic converters contain metals with high scrap value. GO Riteway is reviewing additional security and deterrence measures at the Oak Creek property.
The district thanked families for their patience as it worked with the transportation company to restore service.
The theft was the second large-scale incident reported at GO Riteway’s Oak Creek operation in less than a year. Last November, thieves stole catalytic converters from 26 school buses at the same facility.
Bob Hesselbein and Middleton community members discuss the upcoming school referendum request that will appear on ballots. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)
Kate Murrain, a realtor and mother of two Middleton-Cross Plains School District students, said she has a couple of questions before she makes her mind up whether to vote for the district’s $118.5 million referendum request.
Murrain told the Wisconsin Examiner that she wants to see a side-by-side comparison of budgets, one of if the referendum passes and one if it fails. Her questions reflect the competing concerns that surfaced in a recent public discussion of rising property taxes and the school district’s troubles meeting rising costs.
“At this point, without any information and being as educated as I need to be I would vote no,” Murrain said, adding she noticed that the meeting was attended by a relatively small group of neighbors who appeared to be pro-referendum. “I was surprised. I expected to walk into 100 people having questions to get better educated. I’m just shocked that this is the turnout.”
Murrain was one of about 20 who gathered in the performing arts center of Middleton High School on Sept. 17 to listen to district leaders explain the request and take questions. The district is holding at least four of these sessions open to the public leading up to the Nov. 3 election.
Middleton’s request is part of a wave of more than 70 school district referendum requests this fall seeking $1.6 billion in support from property taxpayers. Under Wisconsin’s school funding system, there is a cap on how much school districts can bring in through a combination of state aid and property taxes. To exceed the caps, Wisconsin school districts have to go to voters for approval.
Among the requests 17 are for one-time building costs, eight are recurring, to provide permanent support for operating costs, and the remaining are non-recurring, slated to help with operating costs but for a set number of years.
By the end of the year, the total number of referendum requests appearing on spring and fall ballots will total more than 150. Eight of the school districts asking voters for more money in November are trying for the second time this year after a spring request failed.
In April, 75 referendum requests went before voters. According to the Wisconsin Policy Forum, 46 of those passed — a 61.3% approval rate. The Policy Forum found that a similar result in November would represent “a substantial decrease from the 70.1% approval rate in 2024” and the “lowest approval rate of any even-numbered year since 2010, when voters approved 52.7% of referenda.”
The Middleton-Cross Plains School District request is the second largest referendum ask on ballots in November behind Green Bay Area School District, which is seeking $158 million over four years and is currently a party in a lawsuit suing the state over the school funding formula.
Middleton is considered “property rich,” meaning it gets less state aid than other school districts and relies more heavily on property taxes for its budget. According to school leaders, about 80% of the district budget comes from property taxes. The other 20% comes from state aid.
The request would be split to provide $24.9 million in year one of the referendum. That amount would continue the funding the district is currently receiving through a 2022 nonrecurring referendum. The next three years the funding would rise by about 3% each year to account for inflation, so $27.9 million in year two, $31.1 million in year three and $34.6 million in year four.
Bob Hesselbein, the school board president, told the Examiner that the district considered about six different referendum scenarios.
“Like a lot of districts within Wisconsin since 2010, we have been forced to find operational funding with our own community because the state each year is giving us in real dollars less in buying power,” Hesselbein said. “We recognize with the economics going on now in the country, we didn’t want to ask for more because everyone’s hurting.”
The district conducted surveys while working to develop the question. In one survey of about 1,800 community members, 66% said that they would probably or definitely vote for a 2026 referendum. Those who opposed the referendum cited property-tax fatigue, spending reductions and a preference for state level solutions.
Hesselbein said the district hasn’t had a “No Vote” committee form. In other districts, “No Vote” and “Yes Vote” committees will form and can come into contention with one another as residents concerned about rising property taxes are pitted against those who want their schools to be able to meet costs.
One attendee at the recent meeting in Middleton asked for clarification on the actual cost to individual taxpayers of the referendum and said he was worried about how the additional taxes would affect seniors on a fixed income.
An explanatory page provided by the district shows that property taxpayers could expect to pay no additional money in the first year, $21 in the second, $40 in the third and $59 in the fourth. However, the numbers are pegged to $100,000 of property. The district said it provided the information in the form it did so individuals could do the math easily depending on the cost of the house.
“Who has a $100,000 house in Middleton?” the attendee said. “I’d rather see the average house in there, so people can get a feel as to what you’re looking at.”
The average cost of a house is $500,000 in Middleton, meaning in the second year of the budget an average homeowner could expect to pay an additional $105 in property taxes in the second year of the referendum.
“You’re going to be squeezing me,” the attendee said. “You want to keep everything status quo. There’s room to cut.”
If the referendum fails the district will have to cut its budget by about 20%.
Whether the referendum passes or not, the district plans to cut $5 million from its budget, though conversations are just beginning on where those cuts will come from.
“We’re going to probably find ourselves cutting some of the enhancements to education, not the meat of what we do here,” Hesselbein told the Examiner, adding that it likely wouldn’t mean layoffs, but retirements may mean conversations about dividing work among current employees instead of a new hire.
The same retiree who spoke up about the cost of the referendum asked why the district wasn’t turning to state lawmakers.
“I called Sen. [Dianne] Hesselbein’s office last year, and asked, what have you done to get more money?” he said. “I got the typical political run around.”
Gov. Tony Evers and Republican lawmakers tried to pass a deal earlier this year that would have tapped the state surplus to give schools some additional funding and send rebate checks to property taxpayers. The bill failed in the Senate, where most Democrats opposed it, saying it didn’t do enough to help schools or spend money responsibly, along with a couple of Republicans, who opposed the spending.
Since then, progress on school funding changes have been stalled as most politicians have turned their attention to the upcoming elections.
Bob Hesselbein, who is married to the Democratic leader of the Senate, said he had some inside information for the disgruntled taxpayer at the Middleton meeting.
“I happen to know Sen. Hesselbein pretty well,” he said, drawing a few chuckles in the room.
“You can yell and swear all you want,” he added. “In Dane County, we have very pro-education representation in both our Assembly and our Senate. Unfortunately, they’re a minority within the state of Wisconsin, and until the rest of the cities, Wisconsin, come to that realization that their public schools are being damaged, we can’t expect anything different from our local politicians, because that’s the constitutional laws of our state.”
Sen. Hesselbein has said that Democrats will pass legislation to fund public schools in January.
“We are going to be fully there for our public schools, especially when it comes to special education reimbursement,” Sen. Dianne Hesselbein said at a press conference last week. “One thing that school administrators are telling us all across the state — principals as well — that they want to see something they can count on and they want to rely on it.”
Sen. Hesselbein said that her caucus has started having conversations over the summer about what needs to happen, including putting more money into special education and general aid. She said Democrats are also looking at other states to understand how the school funding formula could be changed.
“We’re also looking at a long-term goal of seeing what other states are doing and how they are funding their public schools, but that’s going to take probably a multi-year task to try to figure that all out and talking to our friends in Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois,” Hesselbein said.
Meanwhile, school districts continue to rely on taxpayers to help them meet costs.
Jim Coursey, treasurer of the Middleton school board, explained the stakes to Murrain.
“If we were to lose that 20% of the budget, there will be no question that classrooms will be impacted, that’s too much,” Coursey said. “That’s going to lead to larger class sizes because it’s going to lead to a reduction in the number of staff that we’re going to be able to have supporting. It’s going to lead to elimination of programs.”
Murrain, who said she values the education her children are receiving, remained unconvinced.
“I don’t know, it’s tough… I would need to see exactly where those funds are being allocated,” she said.
Students work in a classroom. The nation's two largest school districts banned AI use for most students this school year. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)
The country’s two largest school districts — New York City and Los Angeles — banned most student use of artificial intelligence in classrooms for this school year as anxiety over AI’s effect on learning intensifies.
The Los Angeles Unified School District announced last week that it is barring student use of generative AI on school-issued devices for the current school year. Generative AI creates new text, images or other content following a user’s instructions. During the school year, a committee will produce recommendations for use of the technology in future years.
New York City Public Schools last week announced a similar but less broad approach. The district put in place a one-year moratorium on generative AI for children from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.
High school students will have to complete 45-minute AI literacy modules twice a year. Some career-focused AI use will be allowed and some high schools will be permitted to test AI pilot programs.
The restrictions, which New York officials said will affect 600,000 students, will allow time to study the technology’s impacts.
“The tech industry wants us to believe that A.I.-powered early education is not only inevitable, but necessary,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a news release. “We do not see it that way.”
Chicago officials may follow suit. About half the candidates running for the Chicago Board of Education this November have signed a pledge calling for a three-year moratorium on generative AI use in the public school classrooms.
Smaller school districts around the country have taken similar steps. Districts in Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Texas and Washington have blocked or limited tools such as ChatGPT, while some allow approved platforms under teacher supervision.
This story was originally produced by Stateline, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Wisconsin Examiner, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.
Police officers will ride on some school buses in a Middle Tennessee school district as part of a new effort to identify motorists who violate traffic laws near buses and put students at risk, reported WSMC News.
According to the news report, the Nolensville Police Department announced the initiative in collaboration with Williamson County Schools and the district’s transportation department. Officers will accompany students on selected bus routes and watch traffic around the vehicles during daily trips.
Police said the officers’ role will focus exclusively on unsafe driving outside the buses. They will not become involved in student behavior, school discipline, or other activities taking place aboard the vehicles.
“Our only purpose is to identify unsafe driving around school buses and help ensure that every student arrives at school and returns home safely,” Police Chief Dale Armour said via the news report.
Armour reminded drivers that they are required to stop when a school bus activates its flashing warning lights and extends its stop arm. Motorists must remain stopped while the signals are active. “A few moments of patience can prevent a tragedy,” Armour said.
The initiative is intended to give officers a direct view of motorists’ actions from inside school buses. By riding along with students, police will be positioned to observe traffic violations that occur as buses stop to pick up or unload children.
Police have reportedly not announced when the program will officially begin. The department also did not provide additional details about which routes will be selected, how frequently officers will ride, or how long it will continue.
The East Great Plain Volunteer Fire Department in Connecticut invited residents to help fill a school bus with classroom supplies for Norwich Public Schools students ahead of the new academic year, reported AOL News.
According to the news report, the department’s “Stuff a Bus” collection drive took place Aug. 15 at the lcoal Walmart.
Organizers reportedly asked community members to donate new, unused school supplies. Volunteers collected the items throughout the day and loaded them into a school bus stationed at the store. All donated materials will be distributed directly to students at Norwich Public Schools and will remain within the local district. Donations of any size were welcome, organizers said.
“Every student deserves to begin the school year with the supplies they need to feel prepared and confident,” East Great Plain Fire Chief Richard Huntley said via the article. “Events like Stuff a Bus give our entire community an opportunity to support Norwich children and help set up our community’s learners for success in the coming school year.”
The event featured activities intended for students and their families. Attendees took part in back-to-school activities and Walmart giveaways during the collection drive. Families also had an opportunity to receive a free 4-by-6-inch back-to-school photograph.
Residents who were unable to attend the event may bring donations directly to the East Great Plain Volunteer Fire Department at 488 New London Turnpike in Norwich. The department is accepting new and unused supplies for students who need classroom materials when school begins.
The drive is designed to give residents a convenient way to assist local students while helping families prepare for the start of classes.
McAllen Independent School District in Texas marked the first day of classes with a send-off ceremony recognizing the school bus drivers responsible for transporting thousands of students.
All 66 district buses were ready to roll as McAllen ISD began the 2026-2027 school year Aug. 17. A police escort accompanied the buses as they departed on their morning routes, creating a ceremonial start centered on student safety and appreciation for the transportation team.
More than 19,000 students returned to McAllen ISD classrooms. District officials said drivers transport about 5,000 students daily over 60 routes, making transportation one of the first and last points of contact for many children each school day.
Superintendent René Gutiérrez thanked the school bus drivers and recognized the responsibility they carry while taking students to school and returning them home.
Transportation Director Eduardo Barnhart told School Transportation News that McAllen ISD organized the event to ensure drivers knew their work was seen, valued and appreciated.
For many students, Barnhart said, a school bus driver is a familiar, trusted person who sets the tone for the day and welcomes them home each afternoon. “The first day of school represents a new beginning and an opportunity to set the tone for the entire year,” he stated.
Drivers were surprised to see district leaders, Gutiérrez and his cabinet, law enforcement officers and community members at the send-off, a district spokesperson said. The police escort and recognition generated a sense of pride, and drivers smiled as they left for their routes.
Longtime driver Tomasita Dillard, who has driven a school bus for nearly 15 years, told local reporters she was excited to see the students assigned to her route. She said safety begins with clear communication among drivers, families, students, and school employees.
“I try to have a lot of communication with students, parents and the staff at the schools,” Dillard said. “That’s the most important thing you can do as a bus driver, safety.”
The celebration was followed by McAllen ISD’s “Inside the Route” Bus Buddy Program during the first two afternoons of school. District administrators rode every afternoon elementary route to ensure students boarded the correct buses and reached their designated stops. Gutiérrez and school board members also participated.
The program gave administrators a firsthand view of transportation operations and drivers’ challenges. District leaders wanted employees to know they were willing to ride alongside them, learn from them, and support their work.
“The first two days of school were really about connection, connecting students to their schools, their buses, their drivers and ultimately their homes,” Barnhart said.
McAllen ISD hopes to make the send-off an annual tradition and build upon it in future years. The spokesperson said drivers deserve to begin each school year knowing the district and community appreciate their work.
The district also shared a message of gratitude with its transportation team, thanking employees for their dedication, patience, and professionalism.
“Your work matters, and the impact you have on our students goes far beyond the miles you drive,” Barnhart said.
The district asked families to continue partnering with transportation staff and emphasized the trust parents place in drivers.
“When you put your child on a McAllen ISD school bus, you are trusting one of our drivers with what matters most to you,” Barnhart said. “We take that responsibility seriously.”
The district said its goal is for students to arrive safely, confidently and ready to learn before returning home safely each afternoon.
The send-off sent a message to drivers that, “We see you, we appreciate you, and we are proud to have you representing McAllen ISD,” Barnhart said.
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. and PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – After a competitive review process, Transfinder Corporation is pleased to announce The School District of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania has selected Transfinder’s award-winning routing solution Routefinder PLUS to create the safest and most efficient routes for its students.
The School District of Philadelphia is the eighth largest school district in the United States. The district has a student enrollment of 198,405 who attend 330 different schools. As the district was looking for an integrated all-in-one technology platform that would avoid the need for multiple vendors and systems and provide a single source of information, Transfinder rose to the top of the list.
“The School District of Philadelphia is looking forward to this partnership with Transfinder,” said Thomas Marcucci, executive director of transportation at The School District of Philadelphia.
Marcucci outlined the goals the district has of its partnership with Transfinder.
“Our goal is to provide the safest, most reliable, most efficient and the best transportation possible for our stakeholders —students, parents, guardians and the entire school community,” he said. “Transfinder’s solutions and features will help us achieve that goal. We know that success comes through collaboration, and we are excited to work together with Transfinder in a true partnership to better serve our community.”
Transfinder President and CEO Antonio Civitella welcomed The School District of Philadelphia to the Transfinder family.
“The Transfinder team has worked closely with the district to meet and exceed its objectives,” Civitella said. “We take The School District of Philadelphia’s trust—or the trust of any district—very seriously. Philadelphia is choosing Transfinder at an ideal time, when our solutions are more innovative and user-friendly than ever. With our award-winning AI tool, Atlas, and industry-leading support, the City of Brotherly Love is in good hands with Transfinder.”
Transfinder’s AI assistant, Atlas, was just voted the Best Software/AI Solution by industry leaders.
With more than 2,500 school districts as clients in North America, Transfinder’s routing solutions are the industry leader, with one in three students riding buses utilizing Transfinder technology.
About Transfinder
Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Schenectady, New York, Transfinder is a national leader in intelligent transportation systems, providing transportation management systems and services to school districts, bus contractors, police departments and adult care facilities. Transfinder, has been on Inc. magazine’s “fastest-growing company” list for 14 years. The software and hardware company has received numerous awards, including Best Software, Best Hardware, Best Green Technology and Best Safety Technology. In addition, Transfinder has repeatedly won Best Places to Work, Top Workplace and Best Companies to Work for accolades. Transfinder develops and supports routing and scheduling solutions for optimal transportation logistics. Transfinder also created the award-winning Patrolfinder policing technology to enhance law enforcement. For more information, visit www.transfinder.com.
As another school year begins nationwide, transportation departments are again measured by a basic expectation: Every route needs a safe, reliable school bus ready to roll. This means fewer last-minute swaps, fewer missed instructional minutes and fewer calls from concerned parents. It also depends on what happens in the garage long before a driver turns the key.
I saw that connection between preparation and performance firsthand last month at STN EXPO West in Reno, Nevada. The National School Bus Inspection Training Program brought together transportation professionals determined to go beyond checking boxes.
It challenges participants to dig deeper into the vehicles entrusted with carrying students. Forty-eight participants began July 10 with classroom instruction. The program developed by Marshall Casey, a former South Carolina Department of Education maintenance director and creator of the America’s Best School Bus Inspector and Technician Skills and Training Competition, goes beyond minimum state and federal Department of Transportation inspection requirements.
The next day, 44 participants traveled to Washoe County School District’s newly constructed George Getto Central Transportation Yard in Sparks for the hands-on portion.
The $33 million facility is an impressive backdrop for any discussion about fleet readiness. Named for Washoe County School District’s first transportation director, the 36,396-square-foot building includes an eight-bay school bus shop, a separate three-bay white fleet shop, a bus wash, parts and tire storage, offices, training space
and a driver break room.
Yet a modern building and new equipment only reach their potential when skilled people know how to use them. The best inspection techniques and enhanced training are vital to this end.
On July 11, the STN EXPO West participants moved through guided inspections with the instructors before 13 elected to compete that afternoon. They inspected school buses on their own and completed a written test, with their combined scores determining their finish.
Larry Noble, a mechanic with Shasta Union High School District in California and a first-time STN EXPO attendee, took first place.
Instructor Harley Pinson, director of fleet maintenance for Paulding County School District in Georgia and a 2016 America’s Best participant, told me the training brings previously unknown information to light and gives technicians a path to finding the correct answers to everyday shop questions. He was especially impressed by the participants’ engagement, overall knowledge and test scores, which ranked among the highest he has seen.
That is the value of pairing training with competition. The contest creates pressure and recognition, but winning is not the only point. A missed defect becomes a learning opportunity. A test question leads technicians back to the inspection manual. A conversation beside a lifted bus can provide a better process to take home and share.
A great example of building upon that opportunity was the Washington Association for Pupil Transportation sending several technicians to Reno. Winners from the state’s 2025 competition attended and competed, with Benjamin Ortiz of Sunnyside School District finishing in second place. Maurine Simons, herself a former school bus mechanic and a 2016 America’s Best participant as well as a WAPT board member, said the association plans to send this year’s winners to STN EXPO West 2027. That is an investment in employees and a pipeline for professional growth.
We understandably devote considerable attention to the school bus driver shortage. But the technician shortage is just as serious, and in some operations it may be worse. Recruiting drivers and purchasing new school buses don’t matter if too few qualified people are available to inspect, diagnose and repair an increasingly complex fleet. Professional development, modern working conditions and meaningful recognition tell technicians their employer values their expertise.
The same principle applies across student transportation. At the TSD Conference, Nov. 4-10 in Frisco, Texas, the special needs roadeo gives teams a hands-on opportunity to sharpen skills for safely transporting students with disabilities and special needs. At STN EXPO East, April 1-6, 2027, in Charlotte/Concord, North Carolina, the inspection training and competition will provide another opportunity to learn from instructors and peers nationwide.
State associations, school districts and contractors should make room in their budgets for these experiences. Do not view professional development as time away from the job. It is an investment in doing the job better and in keeping talented people in the profession.
The best-equipped garage with the newest software, lift or diagnostic tool cannot guarantee uptime by itself. Uptime begins with professionals who know what to look for, where to find the right answer and when to act before a defect becomes a failure. As another school year begins, investing in those people is one of the smartest fleet-management decisions an operation can make.
Editor’s Note: As reprinted from the August 2026 issue of School Transportation News.
A United Way school supply drive filled six buses and collected more than $20,000 in monetary donations to help students across five Florida Panhandle counties return to class, reported WJHG 7.
According to the news report, the United Way of Northwest Florida held its annual “Stuff the Bus” campaign as families prepared for the first day of school and faced higher costs for classroom essentials. Donors contributed folders, notebooks, snacks, glue, crayons and other supplies for students in Bay, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson and Washington counties.
Organizers reportedly said that the response packed buses with donations from the seats to the floor. The campaign also received more than $20,000 in cash contributions, including $15,000 from Buffalo Rock Co. School districts will use the money to buy supplies that were not donated and replenish items as needed.
Among the donors was Waundra Bittle, a mother of three whose children attend college, eighth grade and virtual school. She filled a shopping cart after seeing a collection bus outside Walmart.
“When we were homeless, when we were broke, when we had no food, we had people that helped us as blessings, as angels, just perfect strangers,” Bittle told local news reporters. “They helped me make sure my kids had academic success.”
United Way board member Annette Cederholm said support came from across the community. “We’ve had retired educators that know the importance of school supplies,” Cederholm said. “Even though they are not working anymore and don’t even have a connection to a school system, they are donating.”
Bay District Schools Superintendent Mark McQueen called the communitywide effort inspirational. “The whole community helping to ensure that every student has what they need is just absolutely inspirational,” McQueen said via the article.
Bittle said her family’s past hardships motivate her to help other families, even when she faces difficulties of her own. “Life is not about being selfish,” she said. “I love the babies, and I just want them to be successful.”
A new transportation facility on Osceola County’s west side is expected to shorten school bus travel and support drivers as students return to class, reported Click Orlando News.
According to the news report, the School District of Osceola County opened the Transportation and Operations Facility in an area experiencing rapid population growth. Officials said placing buses closer to students’ homes, stops and schools should reduce the time vehicles spend traveling across the county before and after their routes.
Transportation Services Director Orville Watson said via the article that about 100 routes will operate from the new hub. The 53-acre site can accommodate as many as 200 buses, allowing the district to expand its fleet as enrollment and the county’s population grow.
“This allows us to place this facility more in a central area so we can get the buses closer to where they needed to be as far as homes and stops and schools to minimize that travel time,” Watson told local news reporters.
The complex reportedly includes office and meeting spaces, driver training rooms and a training pad where the district can provide certified commercial driver’s license instruction for drivers and attendants. It also has a full-service fleet maintenance operation capable of handling minor and major repairs.
Watson said the on-site maintenance center will eliminate the need to send buses to the district’s central transportation facility in another part of the county.
Superintendent Mark Shanoff, who toured the facility before the start of the school year, said the district designed it with transportation employees in mind. He said the new location has helped the district improve routing and operate more efficiently.
Shanoff also credited employee amenities, including upgraded break rooms and training areas, with helping the district begin the school year without any bus driver vacancies. “One of the reasons why we don’t have any driver vacancies is because of us elevating the transportation employee experience,” Shanoff said via the article.
District officials reportedly stated that the added capacity will position the transportation system to keep pace with continued development on the county’s west side while providing drivers, attendants and mechanics with a dedicated place to work and train.
Jefferson County Public Schools bus drivers in the Louisville area are practicing hundreds of routes as the district prepares for the new school year and works to avoid a repeat of its 2023 transportation breakdown, reported WLKY News.
About 700 drivers continued rehearsing routes Monday before classes began Thursday. The district expects them to cover 640 routes and transport roughly 48,000 students.
The preparations reportedly follow widespread problems in 2023, when some students arrived home late at night, classes were canceled and drivers quit. JCPS has since made major changes to its transportation system and staffing. “We’ve been hiring a lot more people. And I think we’re retaining people,” said Rashaun Story, who trains district bus drivers.
Technology is central to this year’s rollout. JCPS is officially implementing the Traverse routing system after an earlier pilot program. The software reportedly replaces past provider AlphaRoute.
Story said via the article that the voice-guided system allows drivers to keep their hands on the wheel instead of consulting printed directions. “It’s been really nice,” he said. “The old-school way, we used to have to hold a paper. So now this just tells us.”
The district also launched My Ride K-12, a real-time tracking app that gives parents bus numbers, stop locations and scheduled stop times. Parents with routing or scheduling questions can call the district’s 485-RIDE hotline at 502-485-7433 for live assistance.
Story encouraged parents to speak with drivers if they have questions or concerns. “We’re going to make sure that your student is safe. If you want to come up on the bus, drivers are approachable. You can come up to the door and ask questions and concerns,” he said via the news report.
District officials are also reminding motorists about a new Kentucky law requiring traffic in every lane to stop when a school bus displays flashing lights and extends its stop arm. JCPS buses typically finish dropping off students by an average of 5:41 p.m. The district expects longer runs during the first few days of classes and has reportedly set an initial target of 6:59 p.m. for all students to be delivered.
Story stated that drivers’ work extends beyond transportation. “It might be the bus driver that’s making a difference in their student’s life,” he said.
Police near Schenectady, New York arrested a school bus aide working for Rensselaer City School District after he allegedly exposed himself to a student with disabilities and engaged in inappropriate contact while the child was being transported.
Felton Edwards, Jr., 67, was charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a vulnerable elderly person, or an incompetent or physically disabled person, involving sexual contact without consent, a Class E felony. He was also charged with public lewdness, a Class B misdemeanor, according to a July 31 press release from the City of Rensselaer Police Department.
Police said the department received a complaint July 17 from Rensselaer City School District Superintendent Joseph Kardash regarding allegations that a school bus aide had inappropriate contact with a student.
Investigators determined that the alleged incident occurred the day prior while a school bus was transporting the student within the city of Rensselaer. Police allege Edwards exposed himself to the student, touched himself in the student’s presence, and allowed the student to place a hand inside his shorts.
The police did not identify the student or disclose the student’s age, school or disability. It also did not indicate whether other students or adults were on board the bus when the incident occurred.
It is unclear how the allegations were initially brought to the superintendent’s attention, who operated the school bus or whether the vehicle had surveillance cameras.
Edwards was arraigned in Rensselaer City Court before Judge Linda Johnson and released. Edwards was ordered to return to court Aug. 5 at 8:30 a.m. A full stay-away order of protection was issued on behalf of the student, according to police.
“RCSD would like to thank the RPD for a swift response to this criminal activity,” the district said in a statement to local news reports. “We appreciate the partnership, communication and diligence every time that we call them, especially in this case.”
The district statement did not provide additional information about Edwards’ employment status, including whether he had been removed from service following the complaint. It also did not specify what steps, if any, the district had taken to review transportation procedures or support the student and the student’s family. School Transportation News reached out to the district but did not receive a response at this
A new morning bus route is giving students in three northwest Tallahassee neighborhoods a reliable ride to Godby High School, an effort school leaders said they hope will improve attendance, punctuality and academic performance, reported WTXL News.
Students living in the Joe Louis, Griffin Heights and Basin Street neighborhoods faced decades of transportation gaps because their homes are located within two miles of school. That distance made them ineligible for traditional school bus service, leaving many to walk or use public transportation.
Principal Marcus Scott said stated that those commutes often caused students to arrive late, miss breakfast and enter class after spending time outside in Florida’s heat.
“You just got to school. You didn’t even have time to get into the cafeteria to eat breakfast,” Godby senior Taylon Thomas said. “And you’re sitting in the classroom, and you don’t know what to do, and your mind is fuzzy. You’re hungry. You’re hot.”
Beginning this school year, students in the three neighborhoods will have access to a dedicated morning bus route to Godby High School, which will not operate in the afternoon. Scott said removing the transportation barrier could give students more incentive to attend school.
“If I can just go right up the block to catch a bus to come to school, I’m more motivated to come to school,” he said via the report.
Scott said he hopes the route’s effects will extend beyond attendance, improving students’ grades, GPAs, morale and school spirit while helping more of them graduate.
Thomas said morning transportation addresses the most pressing need because many students remain near campus after classes, stopping at nearby businesses before heading home. For Thomas, the route’s greatest promise is that students who previously stayed home when they could not find a ride will now have a dependable way to reach school.
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