Reading view

There are new articles available, click to refresh the page.

Colorado School District Pays $16.2M for Abuse of Student by Bus Attendant

By: Amanda Pampuro

21 May 2025 at 17:34

Two years ago, 5-year-old A.M., a child with autism, became the victim of bullying on the school bus he rode to elementary school in the Poudre School District of Fort Collins, Colorado. The perpetrator of A.M.’s abuse was not a fellow student, but a school bus attendant the district had hired to provide students like him with extra support.

Not only was A.M., whose full name is withheld in court documents, restrained in a school bus seat throughout the months-long abuse, his disability rendered him nonverbal, leaving him unable to ask for help or tell his parents what was happening.

The school board agreed to pay out $16.2 million on May 14 to settle a lawsuit filed by parents of A.M. and other students with disabilities who were abused by Tyler Zanella while being transported to and from school during the 2022-2023 school year.

Comparatively, the settlement is about 15 percent of the district’s $10.3 million transportation services budget for this past school year.

After voting to accept the settlement, Poudre school board president Kristen Draper said she hoped the amount would help foster healing and rebuild trust.

“This resolution represents our collective commitment to addressing the harm caused and to supporting the ongoing recovery and well-being of these students and their families,” Draper said.

A.M. was not Zanella’s only victim. In all, county prosecutors say the attendant abused 10 students that school year.

The district uncovered Zanella’s criminal history and a previous child abuse conviction during a background check before he was hired in August 2022. A.M.’s parents also voiced concern about the attendant throughout the school year, but their words did not prompt change until a teacher stepped in.

When A.M. came to class with red marks on his face, a teacher asked questions, prompting the school district to review camera footage and report the abuse to police.

**The Alfred Arraj U.S. Court in Denver, Colorado.**

Internal bus camera footage documented Zanella swearing at A.M., calling him names, and subjecting him to physical abuse, slapping, pinching, and pushing the restrained child dozens of times over several months. According to court documents, Zanella called A.M. a f—–,” “little sh–,” and said, “if A.M. were his kid, he would be dead by now because Mr. Zanella did not have that kind of patience.”

Zanella, 36, ultimately pleaded guilty to seven counts of assault on an at-risk person, as well as harassment, and child abuse. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison in April 2024.

He also had a previous misdemeanor child abuse conviction when he applied for the position at Poudre School District. Title 22 of the Colorado Revised Statutes lists felony child abuse as cause for termination or withholding employment.

David Lane, A.M.’s attorney, said in an email he was shocked that Zanella had been hired after school officials learned of his criminal history and that he had lied about it.

“It is utterly incomprehensible how a school district could allow a convicted child abuser to have access to utterly helpless children in this situation,” Lane wrote. “Ultimately, this governmental failure will cost the taxpayers millions of dollars and these innocent children have been severely damaged.”

Following the incident, the district spent $2 million on internal policies, which included hiring consultants at the Center for Effective School Operations, or CESO, to review the district’s policies. Among primary recommendations, CESO suggested the district develop procedures for camera footage requests and supervisor audits.

In a school board presentation on the transportation review findings last summer, Chief Operations Officer Jeff Connell reflected on how school bus driver shortages led to mechanics and supervisors driving buses, and many employees taking shortcuts.

Connell said the district was hiring an integration services transportation manager dedicated to coordinating support for students with disabilities as well as a second operations manager. Per the CESO recommendation, Connell said both managers would oversee north and south terminals to maintain a consistent culture across both locations. Connell said he hoped to cover the budget for the positions by increasing route efficiencies.

The school district previously maintained three days of video footage from each camera. Supervisors are now required to review at least one hour of footage each week, “with an emphasis on routes that have new staff and routes that serve students with special needs – particularly students who are pre- or non-verbal.”

Moving forward, the district promised to update cameras on all school buses—a $1.9 million cost paid for with bonds. The district hired transportation service provider Zum to install four internal cameras on each school bus, including a driver-facing camera with a built-in coaching system.

“There’s a lot of hours of video to go through between ride-alongs, reviewing the video, following up on incidences and also having the driver-coaching camera, we’re going to have a lot of information available to us that we’ve never had before,” Connell said.

Draper described the incident as a painful chapter in the school district’s history but added that she hoped it would prove to be a “catalyst for important and necessary improvements.”

The post Colorado School District Pays $16.2M for Abuse of Student by Bus Attendant appeared first on School Transportation News.

Dayton, Ohio Student Shooting Highlights Need for Systemic Transportation Changes

School Transportation News

By: Taylor Ekbatani

19 May 2025 at 23:13

The death of Alfred Hale sparked a debate in the community on the lack of safety around downtown transit hubs.

The 18-year-old student of Dunbar High School in Dayton, Ohio was shot and killed in April while waiting for a transit bus to take him to school. For decades, many school districts across the U.S. have relied on public transportation to transport high school students. The practice has only increased especially after COVID-19 due to financial and staff shortages.

Ohio House Bill 96 introduces a budget plan that will allocate more funding to all public schools in FY 2026 and 2027.

“The bill increases overall state support for public schools by $81 million in FY26 and $145 million in FY27 over the executive proposal, for a total of $226 million,” a press release on the bill states. “Additionally, per-pupil funding was increased for every student across Ohio.”

Additionally, the bill would require school districts that provide or arrange for transportation of eligible students in the ninth through twelfth grades to ensure that students are assigned to routes that do not require more than one transfer. Mass transit systems located in one of Ohio’s eight most populous counties would need to ensure that transfers don’t occur at a central hub, like the one where Hale was shot.

HB96 passed the House April 9 and was introduced in the Senate.

Dayton Board of Education President Chrisondra Goodwine disagrees with the bill. She released a statement on the tragedy, stating that the ban on student transfers, “is a reactionary move that fails to address the underlying problems. It restricts student access to education and imposes further barriers on already vulnerable youth—without offering any alternative solutions.”

Goodwine added Hale’s death is not a school issue but a citywide crisis.

“The burden of safety cannot fall on schools alone,” she wrote. “Every sector— education, local government, law enforcement, transportation, and commerce—has a shared responsibility in ensuring that our city is not only livable but truly thriving for everyone.”

She noted recent statements from city elected officials that place blame for the systemic challenges on Dayton Public Schools.

“That narrative is not only misleading—it is harmful,” she stated. “It oversimplifies the issue and ignores the very real legal and financial constraints placed on public school districts across Ohio.”

Instead, Goodwine outlined limitations codified in state law that require transportation is provided not only to Dayton students but also to charter and private school students within district boundaries. Dayton Public Schools lacks the legal authority to prioritize only its students, she continued, as well as adequate staffing and funding to place every child on a yellow school bus.

“Because of these limitations, some students must use public transportation,” Goodwine states. “The Greater Dayton RTA is not an educational partner—it is a public transit system governed by federal rules that ensure equitable access to all. While we do engage where possible to improve safety, DPS has no control over how RTA routes passengers or determines transfer points. These decisions are made solely by RTA based on their operational model and obligations to the general public.”

A citywide commitment to youth by opening recreational facilities, expanding mentorship opportunities, and centering teen-focused investments.

She said if city leaders want to be solution-oriented, they can start by opening doors to recreational centers and buildings that are underutilized or vacant but otherwise available to the district or afterschool partners to serve as “safe, structured environments tailored to teenagers— especially in a city where youth have limited access to activities that are engaging, safe, and empowering.”

“Changing the trajectory for young people requires more than statements—it requires investment in their future,” she added. “At the same time, we call on the State of Ohio to change the laws that continue to create barriers to a better reality for our students. Allow public districts to serve their students first. Fund transportation adequately. And stop penalizing urban districts trying to meet modern-day challenges with outdated policies.”

She is also calling for adequate state funding to support driver recruitment, fleet expansion, and improved routing systems.

The Ohio Association for Pupil Transportation issued a formal statement in support of Dayton Public Schools, Goodwine and the broader transportation crisis in Ohio.

“If Ohio’s elected officials are serious about creating lasting change and protecting our children, they must stop blaming overburdened school districts and start providing the legal authority, funding, and infrastructure necessary to meet today’s realities,” OPTA states. “The Ohio Association for Pupil Transportation stands ready to work with lawmakers, school, leaders, and community partners to bring about these much-needed reforms.”

OPTA notes that Hale’s death in Dayon highlights the need for systemic change and multiagency collaboration to ensure student safety.

“It is unacceptable that a student’s route to school becomes a place of violence,” OPTA states. “And it is equally unacceptable to assign blame to school districts without acknowledging the legal and financial realities they face.”

OPTA notes that the law requiring public school districts to transport students not only to and from their assigned schools but also students attending charter and private school extends service up to 30 minutes outside those boundaries.

“This requirement, imposed without proportional funding or flexibility, has pushed many districts to the brink,” OPTA states.

As of last August, Ohio had 18,817 active school bus drivers, a decrease of nearly 7,000 from 2019, OAPT said. Meanwhile. The demand for transportation services continues to rise due to expanding private and charter school mandates, and lawmakers have failed to address any of the root causes..

“Dayton Public Schools is being asked to do more with less, navigating rigid laws and an acute driver shortage while trying to ensure safe passage for students to over 90 locations,” added OAPT. “These proposals are not only short-sighted, they exacerbate the problem by restricting access to education for some of our most vulnerable students.”

OPTA joined Dayton in calling for: Legislative reform that allows public school districts to prioritize transportation for their own students before allocating resources to nonpublic schools; adequate and equitable funding for public school transportation, including driver recruitment incentives, modernized fleets, and safety upgrades; a re-commitment to public education over expanding voucher systems that divert public funds to private interests, undermining Article VI, Section 2 of the Ohio Constitution; and, a clear focus on student safety, including reinstating the yellow school bus as the “gold standard” for student transportation and rejecting lower safety alternatives like vans and car services for daily transport.

The post Dayton, Ohio Student Shooting Highlights Need for Systemic Transportation Changes appeared first on School Transportation News.

Roundup: Bus Technology Summit at STN EXPO Charlotte 2025

School Transportation News

By: Claudia Newton

13 May 2025 at 22:03

Every Day In K-12 Transportation is an Adventure!
Tyler Technologies

Tyler Technology’s interactive session provided attendees with a peek into a day at a school district using its Total Tyler integrated suite of offerings. Weston Bartlett, manager of the Tyler account executive team; Crystal Duchane, account representative and supervisor; and Jason Riley, chief accounting officer, played school office staff, including: the transportation director, mechanic, a school bus driver and a student. 

They showed how a science teacher, for example, can log into the system and request a field trip. The transportation director receives a link in his email which brings him into the software to approve the request and schedule it out to a driver, which the driver sees on their tablet. The software provides notification of any conflict, such as if the driver has an afternoon route.

The demo showed how the driver can complete his or her pre-trip inspection with the tablet, which recognizes if an inspection failed and a new bus is needed. For example, if there’s a broken headlight, the driver can take a picture on the inspection tablet.

Once the maintenance manager receives the notification that the headlight is broken, panelists illustrated how they can log into the fleet-specific dashboard to see the new work order, including notes and photos and can assign it to a technician.

Dispatchers have a specific portal through which they can utilize routing parameters and the fleet schedule to make changes, which are sent to driver tablets. Panelists showed that notifying parents with cellphone push notifications can be done directly from the system as well.

The demonstration included RFID cards for students, which are scanned upon boarding a bus. If a student scans onto the wrong bus, the driver tablet receives a notification and it shows which is the correct bus. School administrators can also go in and find student rider information if they need it for parents.

The presenters shared that software builds an optimized route based on district parameters, which can easily be updated yearly. Any rerouting needed after missed turns happens automatically, with the system not finding the quickest way, but the safest route. They explained that drivers can create a bus route on the fly with a random group of students, based on who is scanned on the bus.

Tyler representatives confirmed that cybersecurity and student registration systems are available through Tyler. They advised that the integrated pieces of the platform may be purchased at one time or in pieces over time as the district sees fit.

Mitigating Risk on the Road: Proactive Fleet & Student Safety Management
Zonar

Zonar’s session first centered on its Fault IQ product, a diagnostic software for predicting school bus faults before they happen and grabs data throughout a mixed fleet regardless of the OEM. Matt Dickey, Zonar’s vice president of regional sales, was joined by Bryant Maxey, senior product marketing specialist and Sales Engineer Erick Cole. They explained that they’ve seen a 25 percent reduction in maintenance costs, a 20-50 percent reduction in downtime and a 10-20 percent increase in vehicle lifespan.

They advised installing a dual facing Zonar camera in a school bus during the first 30 days of a driver’s employment to monitor behavior and help determine if the driver will work out. It also serves as a coaching and training tool since transportation leaders can view recommended videos based on severity, analyze driver scorecards and trends and exonerate drivers

Transportation staff can receive real time safety alert notifications, access video evidence in minutes, customize the video resolution and download format, view incidents on a map of the route and leverage the RideView companion app for video management.

Upcoming features discussed included backup cameras with a full 360-degree experience and AI accident recreation reports which can read video of an incident, detect the key points and explain what happened.

Best Practices with Student Ridership
Transfinder

Terrell Doolen, professional services manager for Transfinder, and Zachary Moren, manager of enablement and engineering, reviewed why tracking student ridership in real-time is important to today’s parents, how to collect ridership data through scanning students on the bus through RFID cards or manual driver input and what to do with the data once it is captured.

Notifications can be sent to just the parents who have children on a specific bus. Data can also be added on special needs or other pertinent information drivers should know.

They added that the benefits of collecting and having this data readily available include bus breakdown tracking, vehicle utilization optimization and route consolidation due to driver shortages.

They advised tracking registered riders against actual ridership to produce custom reports based on district needs as well as trip efficiency reports for better routing, enabling districts to take action based on real-time data. Dashboards can be created or reports run automatically.

Doolen and Moren explained that Transfinder staff will visit districts to conduct train the trainer events consisting of teaching the drivers about the technology. Instead of having to wait till the end of the school year to make changes, they said transportation staff could make them during the year and send out notifications to parents to let them know right away.

Some attendees said they were looking to add this technology soon and panelists advised getting complete data sets, noting that full participation from all departments was needed for a successful integration.

Bus Technology Summit Lab & Demo
Geotab

Business Development Manager Craig Berndt focused on how the Geotab system can utilize data for better school bus driver monitoring and training. He added that while it can consolidate multiple different camera systems and provide video review for incidents no matter the camera vendor, it can also use data like speed, stops and following distance. The Collision Reconstruction feature, Safety Center and Risk Analytics give drivers safety scores and assess the likelihood of getting into an accident, using AI to contextualize the driving habits and lower the risk of collision.

During the hands-on demo, attendees logged into the Geotab website and app to see how trip data was recorded. They saw examples of customizable rules and alerts regarding harsh braking, speeding, hard turns and more. The system can recognize if the vehicle stops for longer than 200 seconds, if the ignition is turned on and off too many times, if a driver is idling in a specific area, if the door is opened while the bus was moving, and more.

The GoTalk device can beep at drivers to alert them to rules being broken, and automated email alerts can be sent to transportation leadership for specific incidents or drivers.

Other utilizations include giving context to maintenance info and data sharing with contractors through one database with a telematic data feed.

AI-Powered Safety: A Hands-On Experience with First Alt & Samsara
First Student

Gregg Prettyman, who was named by STN Publisher Tony Corpin “the Godfather of alternative transportation,” was with transportation network company ALC Schools for 11 years and now serves as vice president of FirstAlt by student transportation contractor First Student.

He noted that the cars and vans used for this variation of student transportation are starting to have the same onboard cameras as school buses, which is a big improvement on visibility for transportation staff.

Alan Geygan, senior strategic customer success manager, explained that Samsara is a global camera company with a single platform for operations data, which Prettyman confirmed FirstAlt can now tap into when placing the cameras on school buses. Transportation staff can toggle bus route, construction or weather map overlays to give parents information about late rides.

Geygan and Prettyman explained that the video is live and sections can be quickly downloaded, blurred, password-protected, or shared via web link, for example to law enforcement.

Notably, AI-enabled software is used to capture real-time safety alerts triggered by G-force changes like a potential or actual crash, as well as poor driver behavior like drowsy or distracted driving, which are immediately sent to relevant staff. Driver behavior coaching applications are included as the system gives audible alerts like “put down phone,” “take a break,” or “increase following [distance].” Geygan responded to an attendee question on a bus being driven by multiple drivers in a day, that there are several ways to determine which driver is at fault based on a badge scan or AI facial recognition.

Transportation staff can determine the strictness levels and set custom parameters for alerts so notifications don’t overwhelm them, Geygan confirmed. Smoking, food and drink usage recognition is in development, he added. Software updates with updated AI technology are pushed over the cloud and many integrations are available via API.

Bus Technology Summit Lab & Demo
Edulog

Jason Corbally, Edulog president and COO,emphasized the importance of product interconnectivity so routers can build routes taking into consideration attendance, walk or hazard boundaries by school, grade or program as well as so parents know their child’s bus information even if there is a vehicle substitution. He recounted an instance where a district’s 29 special needs routes were speedily rerouted based on vehicle capacity, wheelchair bays and bus depot location.

Director of Transportation Jeremy Stowe recounted how Buncombe County School in North Carolina modernized its old school bus garage with GPS, Samsung tablets, electronic route sheets, and digital time and attendance recording. He added that a parent app implementation was a life saver after Hurricane Helene.

“We had to pivot and change daily,” he said. “[The Department of Transportation] would be reopening roads faster than I could route.”

Industry veteran and consultant Derek Graham added that parents don’t like when the bus is late. “But they really don’t like not knowing the bus will be late,” he said.

Arthur Whittaker, director of transportation for Cabarrus County Schools in South Carolina, underscored the importance of community education when new tech comes to school buses and talked through potential pitfalls.

“Some parents were watching the whole route and critiquing where the bus was going. Part of the confusion was that there were three tiers, so parents would see their student’s bus running the first tier and be confused,” he said. “[Some] parents are using the app to send the kids out at the very last second but due to cellphone lag or bad signal it might lead to them not paying attention to when the bus is actually there.”

Corbally noted some districts use the parent app as a messaging system without connecting to the routing system.

Revolutionizing Student Transportation: How AI is Driving Efficiency and Addressing Budget Challenges for School Districts
HopSkipDrive

Strategic Account Executive Chris Wickman said that creativity and innovation is needed with many school bus drivers calling out or retiring, resulting in 60 percent of surveyed districts reducing school bus service. He urged listeners to not fear or avoid AI but leverage it as a tool.

Dustin Kress, software and advisory director, pointed out that HopSkipDrive’s RouteWise AI is not a replacement to a district’s current routing system but a partner that helps districts relieve burdens on staff and do what’s best for students. Using it, Colorado Springs District 11 reduced bus routes, increased wages and increased on-tine rates.

Gregory Dutton, transportation analyst for HopSkipDrive and former transportation director, noted that RouteWise AI can complete billions of calculations in an hour while considering bell times, driver constraints, students with special needs, maximum commute times and the other myriad aspects that student transporters might have to manually work in. Human expertise is still needed to analyze and confirm everything, he assured.

The presenters handed out routing scenario worksheets and attendees worked out potential schedules, identifying challenges like obtainable tiers, driver availability, teachers’ unions, community desires, and sunrise and sunset conditions. Given the problem, RouteWise AI suggested 13 schedules and brought the number of buses needed from 70 to 48. Transportation can also create models and easily share data from this application, such as cost per student rider, with district administration and other stakeholders, Kress said.

Take Action Now: How First Light’s Illuminated Solutions Are Saving Lives
First Light

First Light Sales Manager Stephen Climer and Regional Account Executive Graham Matthews shared that their technology is the most visible stop arm in the industry today, observable from over 1,000 feet away. They said the signs will not lose their yellow color for 14.5 years and come in a floating padding frame for extra durability on rough roads.

Air or electric options are available with five-year, full replacement warranties, sold through traditional dealer networks regardless of bus OEM. As recently announced, IC buses will offer the illuminated stop arms standard on CE Series buses, with electric currently in effect and equipped diesel buses coming around August 1.

Addressing light failure, the panelists said that their stop arms and school bus signs contain over 450 LED lights each with heat compressed over them.

“If you look at your product, you can’t count LED bulbs because they’re hitting fibrotic mesh and it’s dispensing the light evenly. So, if the light goes out, you would have to lose over half of the bulbs to notice a slight difference,” Climer explained.

The panelists predicted about four and a half years before the internal LED lights start to dim or go out and if a couple did, no one would notice.

To retrofit, the school bus signs take about an hour and half. Stop arms are plug and play, coming in at 15-minute installation time.

Attendees were engaged, with about one-third of the room indicating they have at least one First Light product installed on their buses.

Empowering Schools Across the US
Samsara

Mackenzie Krebs, senior public sector account executive and team lead, shared that Samsara provides foundational, integrable technology that drives real-time visibility, operational safety, immediate incident response, accessible and actionable data, and fuel efficiency.

Dash cameras have panic buttons that allow districts to view the footage immediately and Satellite View includes real time location and ETA, vehicle tracking, parent portal integrations, and asset tracking. The ability to remotely pull audio in addition to video will be added next year, he confirmed.

Idling summaries illuminating fuel waste district and tracking planned versus actual route stops help improve efficiency.

He shared facets that can be used for proactive response and training, like AI based incident detection, existing camera investments, driver safety scores and automated coaching workflows. Investigative data like speeding, phone usage and seatbelt usage can be used in place of cameras so there are no SD cards or hard drives.

Krebs revealed that Canyons School District in Utah reduced incidents by 50 percent with proactive coaching and spent 75 percent less time pulling camera footage for review. It also saved $80,000 in insurance claim payouts.

He closed with Samsara’s free trial offer, since purchasing school bus technology is a five- to 10-year commitment. “We want to make sure it’s going to work for you,” he assured.

Next-Gen School Bus Safety: Tech Innovations and Cloud Solutions for a Safer Ride
Safe Fleet

Mike Hagan, president of Safe Fleet/Seon Digital Solutions Group; Chris Dutton, director of product development; Chris Fox, senior product manager of visibility solutions; and Julian Jimenez, senior product manager of violation detection and enforcement solutions, led an informative session on their Predictive Stop Arm, which utilizes radars, sensors, AI and predictive algorithms to actively notify students of imminent illegal passing danger with an audible warning.

They explained how the Stop Arm Violation Enforcement System (SAVES) issues a citation so motorists won’t repeat the offense. Video capture activates automatically when the stop arm is deployed, autonomously identifies a violating vehicle’s license plate and sends evidence to the Safe Fleet Cloud for review and enforcement. Districts can set what kind of evidence is needed and what triggers a report. Cameras show the right side of the bus too even when a left side incident is taking place because people contest tickets saying that there weren’t kids exiting the bus.

A law enforcement official does not have to witness the incident or make a report, and drivers are not distracted from students by having to activate anything manually. Presenters discussed the importance of Compelling Evidence that is handled correctly and will hold up in a court of law.

Panelists demonstrated during the demo how, during research to make the stop arm more visible, a black background with flashing red lights was found to be most effective. They promoted the security benefits of cloud data management, which also allows supervisors to gather insights about fleet operations.

Connected, Protected, Perfected: Transportant’s Evolution of Bus Safety
Transportant

National Sales Executive Paul Gandrud and Vice President of Sales Jeff Shackelford shared that technology could improve driver stress levels compared to having to follow a paper route, not knowing the names of students on their routes, and receiving no support in resolving student behavior issues.

School bus drivers are able to see names and pictures of every student assigned to each stop, which also fosters relationships between drivers and students. Students can scan on and off a bus with an RFID card or a driver can check in each student on their tablet.

Robyn Pickard, transportation director for West Des Moines Community Schools in Iowa, explained how the software assists in parent communications. Real time student rosters on the Director Dashboard let office staff quickly inform parents of a student’s location in case of emergency. Staff can use the Bus Compass App to answer common questions about student locations as well as to send out messages to the whole school or just to the families of the students that are on a particular bus.

Gandrud and Shackelford explained how the Live Video System allows a driver to hit the incident button which sends a link to the Director Dashboard, where supervisors can see and hear both live and recent video, then take action to resolve or response.

These technologies are still subject to state laws. One attendee in West Virginia said parents didn’t want students’ faces on the RFID cards and another stated that in Illinois it’s illegal to gather biometric information on students.

Panelists explained that Transportant doesn’t have routing but can partner with any other routing software and is the only company that is a fully integrated cloud-based solution.

The post Roundup: Bus Technology Summit at STN EXPO Charlotte 2025 appeared first on School Transportation News.

Future of Clean School Bus Program?

School Transportation News

By: Carol Brzozowski

12 May 2025 at 19:59

School districts are contemplating how to best move forward with the cleanest-emitting school bus that best meets their individual needs, be that an electric school bus (ESB), one fueled by propane, or a cleaner diesel variety.

Several factors lead to the uncertainty over more widespread adoption of ESBs. Pricing, infrastructure and range remain concerns, and Lion Electric customers are still figuring out their next moves amid the company’s auction following financial trouble. But none are bigger than the the fate of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) five-year, $5 billion Clean School Bus Program.

Some anxiety eased in late February, after the Trump administration a month earlier put a temporary pause on award distribution, despite a memo from the EPA CFO that all program funds appropriated by the IIJA and IRA should continue to flow. Last month, the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) announced funding through the 2023 grant competition awards is now accessible.

By the end of 2024, the EPA made three rounds of awards to 1,344 school districts, totaling some $2.8 billion. Over 98 percent of those funds have gone toward purchasing ESBs.

NAPT noted it is not clear whether the EPA plans to award the remaining $2.2 billion as was authorized by Congress or to let its authorization run out, adding the program has received some strong support from senators in states where electric buses were being purchased and in at least one state where they are being manufactured.

The EPA did not respond to questions for this article. If the Clean School Bus Program lives on, one electric vehicle insider told School Transportation News funding could be funneled toward more propane school buses.

Meanwhile, Blue Bird used its first quarter results to address the impact of the federal funding pause on ESB deliveries through the Clean School Bus Program. Some
750 ESBs were sold or scheduled for production and delivery, whereas 250 were awarded with funding paused. Blue Bird initiated a reprioritized production plan to build fully funded buses earlier and push back build dates for ordered buses where EPA and federal funding was paused.

The company said it is processing new ESB orders attached to state and local funding and has confirmed political support for the Clean School Bus Program from elected officials in Washington, D.C. Blue Bird also indicated it has lowered its range of annual forecasted ESB deliveries from 1,300 to 1,000 buses.

The company noted uncertainty over the impact of tariffs means it will explore sourcing and other options with suppliers. All applicable government tariffs will be passed through to the end customer, with a potential five percent increase on all Blue Bird non-ESB buses expected by the end of February, should the tariffs on components be applied as originally proposed. School districts are exploring available options.

The non-profit Vermont Energy Investment Corp. (VEIC) has a clean transportation team specializing in programs and projects supporting electric vehicle fleet adoption and alternative fuel vehicle technology.

VEIC published a report last September for the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) on ESB performance, summarizing evaluation activities and results associated with ES deployments in the program over the 2023-2024 academic school year.

The report found ESBs performed well in all weather conditions and route types. In extremely cold conditions, vehicle efficiency was reduced by up to 40 percent. However, ESBs were found to start up more consistently and reliably than diesel buses. ESBs also had better acceleration and quieter operation than diesel buses, but a lower top speed. Each ESB averaged $1,575 in annual fuel savings compared to diesel buses.

The report indicated primary vehicle downtime causes were related to components outside of the electric drivetrain. Resolving these issues proved more challenging with some vendors than others.

Incorporating feedback from interviews with 15 school transportation managers, school bus drivers and mechanics who engaged the most with ESBs in this program, the final section of the report offers key guidance for future ESB deployments in Montana, including in the areas of training and support, charge management, regenerative braking, and charging strategies.

Dan Rispens, superintendent of East Helena (Montana) Public Schools, noted his district received a grant through Montana’s Department of Environmental Quality that was derived from the Volkswagen settlement of 2016-2017.

“Grant funds offset approximately 80 percent of the purchase price of our bus,” said Rispens. “We were motivated by the prospect of new technology and reduced operating costs, but the primary force in our decision was grant funding.”

Its Lion Electric C bus was ordered in 2021 and delivery was accepted last August. Rispens said the district received EPA rebates to supply three additional Lion Electric buses, but East Helena passed on purchasing them given Lion Electric’s current financial status.

Speaking to the challenges East Helena Public Schools has encountered with its electric bus, “delivery timelines are challenging due to backlog in manufacturing and supply chain disruptions,” Rispens said.

“Our vendor does not have a nationwide network of dealers, so any technical assistance or warranty work is done by remote consult or sending technicians out on the road, making it cumbersome and complicated.”

Local mechanics do not know how to fix or repair the bus and do not have service manuals for it, Rispens added.

“Our bus has been here since last summer and has only been used for about a month on an actual route,” he said. “The heat system was found to be non-functional.

We are still waiting on repairs. This left the bus unusable during Montana’s harsh winter.” Last July, the World Resources Institute’s Electric School Bus Initiative reported that while the EPA had by that point funded more than 8,000 electric school buses through the EPA Clean School Bus Program, demand for ESBs is outpacing funding.

States, financing entities and utilities continue driving momentum for ESBs, noted WRI spokeswoman Katherine Roboff. “The Maryland Energy Administration recently launched a new funding program in support of school bus electrification,” she said. “We are tracking $2.3 billion in state-level funding for which ESBs are eligible. California and New York are good examples of robust state-level funding.

“We have also been in conversation with a wide range of green banks and financial institutions across the country who are also exploring the topic of financing electric school buses,” Roboff continued. “The Connecticut Green Bank, for example, has developed a new ESB financial product.”

However, the EPA is revoking $20 billion in contracts the Biden administration approved with at least eight green banks. Many Republican leaders call green banks “slush funds,” the Associated Press reported last month. At press time, the Connecticut Green Bank was one of seven green banks still listed on the EPA website.

States Continue Funding Work
The Public Service Commission of Maryland recently approved an electric school bus utility pilot program, Roboff added. The program is one of a dozen nationwide that recently closed or soon will close applications for funding. Districts also continue to explore electrification through transportation-as-a-service providers and other innovative business models built around subscription fees, Roboff said.

“School districts across the country continue to grow their electric school bus fleets,” she added. For example, the Beaverton School District in Oregon has been adding ESBs on an annual basis, leveraging a range of funding sources. In 2021, Beaverton was the first school district in Oregon to acquire an ESB and has added them yearly for a current total of 15 electric buses and 31 charging stations. Among the funding sources was a voter-approved $723 million bond, a portion of which is designated for replacement of diesel-powered buses with propane and electric buses.

Other funding sources include the Oregon Department of Energy’s Public Purpose Charge Program, Portland General Electric’s Electric School Bus Fund—funded through the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s Clean Fuels Program—and the EPA.

Beaverton also has 65 clean-burning propane buses using renewable propane. While the district plans to replace 225 diesel-powered buses with ESBs and propane-powered buses, some will be retained for long-distance field trips and athletic events. The district uses renewable diesel fuel, noting its higher cost is expected to drop as its supply expands.

That plan may be revisited if future battery technology improves to extend the distances ESBs can travel on a single charge. Molly Hale, marketing communications manager for Cummins’ Accelera zero-emissions business, noted Blue Bird has the company’s integrated powertrain, the PowerDrive 7000, that includes the BP97E battery, assembled in Columbus, Indiana, at its main manufacturing facility.

“Additionally, Thomas Built Buses recently announced the launch of their new Jouley Gen 2 bus with the new addition of our 14Xe eAxle and ELFA inverter,” she said. “We are pleased to be partnering with two major school bus OEMs and are excited to see the success of these buses gaining momentum and adoption. Blue Bird has delivered more than 2,000 ESBs with our powertrain.”

As speed bumps increase on the path to school districts incorporating more ESBs into their fleets, districts are pursuing a variety of approaches, such as this pilot project in New Mexico, which signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ESB manufacturer GreenPower Motor Company. The state will seek an appropriation of $5 million to conduct a pilot program funding the purchase of ESBs, charging station installations and management costs.

Rolling with the Punches
Uncertainty over the future of ESB funding has affected many school districts, including the Ritenour School District in Overland, Missouri. The district on Feb. 4 announced the arrival of the first three Thomas Built Buses Jouleys of a 24-ESB fleet funded by a nearly $9.5 million EPA Clean School Bus Program grant sought to replace 24 diesel buses.

The district announced 24 new charging stations as well. However, the district indicated uncertainty over receiving the remaining 21 ESBs from the Clean School Bus Program due to its funding pauses. Brooks McQuinn, transportation director for the Malone Central School District in Malone, New York, noted the district has four ESBs and had received the EPA grant. The district received $1.4 million dollars for the purchase of the buses and chargers, covering most of the project cost. McQuinn pointed out existing infrastructure accommodated the chargers. The district also has its own lot and inside storage space for the buses.

The district’s fleet includes 43 65-passenger buses fueled by propane, gas, diesel and now the four ESBs. “We cover 386 square miles in this district, with a lot of different terrain,” said McQuinn. “We have used propane buses for years because it was a cleaner source of fuel, and we get tax credit for that fuel type. We have geared to gasoline engines due to the size of our district and sporting events. We have phased out our diesels and only have three left.” McQuinn noted the district is surprised the power capability of the ESBs is limited to about 75 miles a day.

“We have also not had a very cold winter here since we received these buses last March,” he added. “Our winters here can hit 30 degrees below [zero]. Overall, [ESBs] have a place in this district, but we certainly cannot meet the [state of New York] deadlines of 2035 for a complete EV bus world.” McQuinn said the cost of a propane or gasoline bus is about $185,000, including added options. The ESB costs about $465,000 and has limited options.

“The New York State [Department of Transportation] is very strict about what has to be on a school bus,” he said. “If the federal grants go away, it would put our district in a very vulnerable state. We are currently maxed out with our energy output, and if we were to add anymore [electric] buses we would have to put all new infrastructure here that would cost the district and local taxpayers millions of dollars.

“We would also have to look for alternative means for sporting events, field trips and any other trips outside of to and from school transportation,” he continued. The Electrification Coalition notes ESB procurement can take up to 18 months. This includes installing the charging infrastructure and getting enough power from the local utility. The organization noted Climate Mayors Electric Vehicle Purchasing Collaborative offers cooperative purchasing contracts for Blue Bird, IC Bus, Lion Electric, and Thomas Built Buses. The Collaborative also includes resources for the procurement process, policy guidance and a variety of other informative resources.

The Coalition advises districts to identify the appropriate type of EV charging stations, determine their locations and explore charging software to help achieve electricity cost savings.

Three types of charging stations include Level 1 (120V), Level 2 (240V), and direct current fast charging (DCFC). Engagement with the local utility is critical to assist
with the connection process for EV charging equipment, determine whether infrastructure upgrades are needed, determine charging rates and best charging times, and available software platforms.

Other Options
A video interview conducted by Steven Whaley, Blue Bird’s alternative fuels manager for eastern North America, and Anthony Jackson, executive director of transportation at Bibb County School District in Georgia, highlights operational benefits of propane school buses, including the elimination of diesel regeneration issues, reduced maintenance costs due to fewer parts and quieter operation. Bibb County School District purchased 31 propane buses in 2014, with the driving factor being issues with regeneration on the diesel engines. Benefits derived included no need for NOx sensors or having to replace particulate matter filters.

Bus drivers love that the bus is much quieter compared to diesel buses, Jackson said.
Now, most of the district’s fleet is comprised of propane-fueled buses, with propane fuel provided by Bobtail loads to the district’s four 1,000-gallon tanks. There also are diesel buses and those running on unleaded gasoline are used for field trips.

The district spent $790,599 to run over 2 million miles at a cost of 39 cents a mile, a 27 cents per-mile cost savings with more than a $500,000 in annual fuel savings. The Alternative Fuel Excise Tax Credit for propane vehicles is 36 cents a gallon for even more cost savings.

“The fate of the Alternative Fuel Tax Credit for propane vehicles is tenuous at best,” Whaley noted. “But the value proposition for propane without any incentives stands impressively on its own.” Clean diesel has also become a more attractive option, especially when using renewable diesel. But incentives for RD only currently exist in California, Oregon, Washington and New Mexico, the only states that have passed the
Low Carbon Fuel Standard.

Still, tougher EPA emissions standards have been a driving factor in diesel being more
than 90 percent cleaner today than a decade ago. Those emissions are expected to only get cleaner starting in 2027, when EPA’s Phase III GHG standard is scheduled to go into effect. But at this report, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin signaled the rule and others are under reconsideration. If rolled back, diesel school buses could be easier and less expensive to obtain, especially in states that were previously forecasting limited availability.

As the industry awaits word on Phase III , Cummins announced last month its much-anticipated B7.2 diesel engine on the company’s HELM or fuel-agnostic platform. The emissions reduction to less than 0.035 grams of NOx per horsepower/hour, as required by EPA Phase III represents, an approximately 83-percent-cleaner engine than 2010 engines with 50-percent fewer particulate matter.

These are achieved by using a “clean sheet base engine,” a culmination of all the components, a Cummins spokesperson said.

The emissions warranty and useful life requirements also increase, with automatic engine shutdown and stop-start that can further lower emissions and GHG. Meanwhile, in anticipation of the Trump administration, the California Air Resources Board ceased seeking the additional federal waivers it needed to fully implement its Advanced Clean Fleet rule that about a dozen states were set to adopt. Many of those states are now not implementing it, which set out to reduce the number of diesel heavy-duty trucks that could be sold in California and the other so-called CARB states.

Diesel Emissions Reduction Act reauthorization was also introduced in Congress last month. That program, which ran through fiscal year 2024, had been marked for review by the Trump administration. It has been responsible for replacing over 5,100 high emissions school buses since 2010.

Editor’s Note: As reprinted in the April 2025 issue of School Transportation News.

The post Future of Clean School Bus Program? appeared first on School Transportation News.

Passing the Torch

School Transportation News

By: Taylor Ekbatani

28 April 2025 at 15:00

Over the past couple of years, IC Bus has made significant moves in the school bus industry, both with internal leadership and new school bus announcements. At the end of 2022, IC Bus parent Navistar announced Trish Reed was transitioning from general manager of one of America’s largest school bus brands to vice president of zero emissions.

Meanwhile, Justina Morosin was chosen to return to IC Bus and succeed Reed. The two have nearly 50 years of combined employment at Navistar, now known as International Motors, a rebrand that was announced last September.

Morosin served as VP of sales for IC Bus from 2014 to 2017 and before that was a sales
manager for the school bus brand. She also has extensive experience on the truck side with
International, ranging from truck marketing manager and vice president of used truck and
commercial transformation, before leading the bus division.

“The used truck role was a really big undertaking and a very satisfying role for myself, just from perspective of building culture and building teams,” Morosin said.

She noted that she had a lot of different opportunities throughout her career at International in both the truck and bus space.

“I’m very dedicated to mentoring both men and women and all different functions within our organization, and I always encourage them to step out of their comfort zone, or where they feel most familiar, whether it’s truck, bus, whether it’s used truck, parts service,” she said. “There’s so many opportunities within our company, and to be able to go into a different function and experience, that builds your understanding holistically of the business. I was fortunate to be able to be given those opportunities along the way.

She said serving as VP and GM for IC Bus was a milestone in her career. “It was something I always aspired to do, and I was so excited to be in that role,” she said, adding that transitioning to her new role comes at a pivotal point in International’s transformation.

During her tenure leadig IC Bus, the brand launched the first CE Series redesign in 20 years, now offered in electric and diesel configurations. The launch was announced one day prior to the start of the 2023 STN EXPO West in Reno, Nevada. The new CE Series emphasizes driver comfort while also offering collision mitigation technology as a standard equipment.

It was also during this time IC Bus announced its three-core strategy: Leading in safety and technology, fostering a healthy future, and offering best in class solutions.

“I feel like we’ve accomplished so much and we’re on such a good path going forward,” Morosin added. What she’s most proud of, however, was that she said IC Bus brands accounted for 47 percent of sales of all school bus purchases last year.

“That is a testament to say that our next generation is delighting our customers, and that our dealer network is doing everything to partner with our customers, to offer best in class services and solutions for our customers,” she said, adding that the CE Series was truly developed with the customer in mind.

As of February, Morosin returned to the truck side at International, serving as the senior vice president of sales and field operations, handing the IC Bus baton to Charles Chilton.
“It’s a natural path for me and a natural next step for me in this role, and it’s a really important one,” Morosin said describing her new responsibilities. She added that International recently introduced a new commercial truck strategy at its annual dealer truck meeting.

“I’ve always been very career-driven,” she said. “I always say to myself that this is going to be the last role that I’m in and then … I am an ambitious person. I always want to stretch myself to see what more can I do. What more can I take on? How much more of an impact could I have?”

She said she’s passionate about her latest opportunity, contributing alongside her team and working with the dealer network to continue to grow the business. “Being able to tailor solutions for our customers into the future to make them more successful into the future,” she said, adding that her new role encompasses everything from working with the national fleet, dealer networks, to leasing and used trucks.

Meanwhile, Chilton is no stranger to the school bus industry, logging a total of almost
24 years between two major OEMs. However, his time in the industry started years earlier like many others: As a school bus driver.

He started driving a school bus in North Carolina during his senior year of high school and the passion grew from there. After graduating from North Carolina State University, he began working for Thomas Built Buses in 1988 in various engineering positions, later
becoming a product manager and a program manager.

“I was very fortunate to start there and kind of grow up in the school bus [industry],” he said.

After almost 17 years with Thomas, he worked for E-One, a manufacturer of heavy-duty fire trucks and emergency vehicles, for three and half years before joining International in 2009. He was chief engineer before moving to director of product development, VP of product strategy and planning, and head of commercial market planning, where he spent the last three years until being named VP and GM of IC Bus earlier this year.

“I was on the global bus side trying to help expand the product around the world,” he said, noting that he worked with John McKinney, the former president of International’s global bus division. He also worked closely with Reed for several years after she became VP and GM of IC Bus.

“Trish is super respected in the industry, and [she] and I really locked arms together and really just love the school bus space,” he said, adding that the industry is all about safely transporting students. “That’s fundamentally the motivators behind all of this for me personally… yellow is my blood, as you can say.”

Then, Morosin took the reins, the CE Series was announced, and the brand continued to grow. “I never imagined going from being a school bus driver to, in my opinion, leading the number one school bus company in the world,” he said. “That’s kind of a wonderful experience. And so that’s why I’m super excited, and I’m loving every day.”

Chilton noted that by following in both Reed’s and Morosin’s footsteps, he plans on staying the course and building upon the strong foundation that IC Bus already has, while fully leaning into the company’s three key principles.

Drawing upon his engineering and school bus driver background, he worked closely with Reed in the design of the CE Series school bus. He said together they set target goals and designed a product with driver comfort in mind. After all, being a school bus driver “is a hard job.”

“You’ve got 72 kids behind you, potentially making all kinds of noise,” he continued. “You’ve got all the distractions from traffic and patterns and stop lights.”

He noted that IC Bus wants to continue to help the school bus driving job be easier, whether that comes in the form of technology or ergonomic factors.

“We’re putting our drivers front and center to make it a great experience,” he said. “I think our latest product… demonstrates our commitment to making the driver experience the best it can be.

For example, a month into his tenure, IC Bus announced that First Light Illuminated School Bus Signs and Fully Illuminated Stop Arms are now standard on the next-generation IC Bus Electric CE Series school buses, effective immediately. First Light as standard equipment will extend to internal combustion engines in August.

Morosin noted that Chilton being the new VP and GM of IC Bus is a good path forward, especially with his history in the bus space. “Although much of it has been behind the scenes, he is the perfect person to take over,” she said.

Chilton said through his experience he’s learned to listen to what customers need. “I’m motivated by the safety of our kids and in the drivers experience and making sure it’s a great experience every day on the school bus,” he said. “…I enjoy being a thought leader and contributing to making the product better every day. Obviously, it’s a very big conversation around how we approach that, but it’s super important that we’re continuing to make ourselves better. So those are motivating factors for me, and throughout my career that’s what I’ve done: work to make things better.”

Recognizing Trends
Morosin noted that AI is a large trend that influences both the truck and bus space as well as how the company interacts with its customers now and into the future.

“I think that is just fantastic that we’re at this point in technology where we don’t necessarily have to have large buckets of offerings, but that we can actually tailor to a specific customer those types of offerings,” she said, adding that technology will play a role in evolution of selling vehicles.

In terms of the future of electric vehicles and the California Air Resources Board pulling back full implementation of its Advanced Clean Fleets rule, Chilton noted that it’s hard to navigate hypotheticals due to the constantly changing landscape. “But our core strategy is to be able to have a solution that’s ready for whatever the market needs are,” he said.

Moving forward, Chilton said he’s committed to providing solutions for customers and getting back to the fundamentals of being able to deliver buses on time. He said he knows the importance of buses being delivered at school start to provide service to students.

“Being a thought leader and pushing the school bus industry to better ways of working and operating,” he said of other goals for himself and his team at IC Bus. “I think it’s important for us to help the industry through this change with the best vehicle, there’s octane products out there, there’s diesel products. We really want to have a solution for all the needs, no matter where the market is.”

Editor’s Note: As reprinted in the April 2025 issue of School Transportation News.

The post Passing the Torch appeared first on School Transportation News.

Canada Becomes First Country to Mandate External School Bus Surveillance Feeds

School Transportation News

By: Taylor Ekbatani

22 April 2025 at 00:27

The decision to mandate video cameras and monitors on school buses to allow improved detection of students at stops, effective November 2027, dates back to a 2020 Transport Canada’s Task Force on School Bus Safety. And while the so-called perimeter visibility systems are expected to improve school bus safety, questions remain.

Patricia Turner, territory manager for school bus video manufacturer Gatekeeper-Systems, was a member of the Task Force created by the Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety. The goal was to review safety standards and operations inside and outside school buses.

Additional members included different levels of government, manufacturers, school boards, bus operators, labor unions and safety associations.

“We all came together to discuss what could be put on school buses to assist in keeping children safer,” she said, adding that the Task Force began with bi-weekly virtual meetings that turned into monthly meetings. “We were discussing what technology is out there that can help keep children safe.”

By February 2020, the Task Force released a report, Strengthening School Bus Safety in Canada, that identified four ways to improve school bus safety: Infraction cameras, extended stop signal arms, exterior 360 cameras, and automatic emergency braking.

While the Task Force report did not recommend three-point seatbelts, it recognized “that seatbelts can provide an additional layer of safety on school buses in certain rare but severe collision scenarios,” the report states. “As such, it would be prudent to continue working through the considerations associated with seatbelt installation and use (e.g. consequences of misuse, emergency evacuations, liability) and to encourage manufacturers to develop additional occupant protection features to complement the school bus design, such as energy-absorbing side structure padding and inflatable ‘curtain’ airbags.”

Turner explained that the Task Force selected Gatekeeper as a pilot project supplier for testing perimeter visibility systems initiative in April 2021. The company installed 360 Surround Vision and Student Protector systems on school buses in British Columbia and Ontario.

Transport Canada announced Feb. 3 that, “the Government of Canada is mandating perimeter visibility systems as a new feature to improve school bus safety,” a press release states. “These systems help drivers detect children around the bus while it is stopped or traveling slowly.”

The statement continues, “This technology offers enhanced visibility beyond what mirrors alone can provide.”

Starting in November 2027, all new school buses are to be equipped with perimeter visibility systems with the option to install stop-arm infraction cameras. Canada becomes the first country to require new school buses to be fitted with cameras.

Turner explained that Gatekeeper’s 360 Surround Vision System consists of four high-definition, wide-angle external cameras mounted strategically around the school bus—front, back, left and right. These cameras capture and stitch together real-time, panoramic video, giving drivers a comprehensive, live view of the vehicle’s perimeter to eliminate blind spots. While the Transport Canada mandate does not require camera systems to include recording capability, and the cameras would only be viewable for live look-in, Gatekeeper’s system can easily be upgraded to record video footage with Gatekeeper’s Mobile Data Collector (MDC) for easy retrieval and review.

“This will be an aid to the drivers to even going around the corner, making sure that they don’t take the corner too sharply,” she explained. “And [it’s] one more tool to keep them feeling empowered to keep children safer.”

Turner added that school buses are the safest way to transport children to and from school, more so than any other means of transportation. However, she noted that personal vehicles are being equipped with upgraded technology and that same technology should be applied to school buses.

“That is because school buses are built, inside and out, to protect children, noting that while buses, particularly school buses, are among the safest modes of transportation available, there are opportunities for improved safety,” she said.

Yet questions about the requirement remain. Rich Bagdonas, vice president of business development for school bus contractor Switzer-CARTY Transportation Services, said he was “surprised” to hear the mandate when it was announced in February.

“Safety is paramount,” he said. “[Cameras are] a tool, but we can never have an over reliance on technology, because we still need to have the drivers trained very thoroughly. This is something that we will be able to add to enhance safety. But we always have to keep in mind that when we train drivers that we have to always have our eyes open on the road all the time, too. And we cannot just rely on the technology to provide the safest school ride possible.”

He explained that he doesn’t want the cameras to be a distraction to school bus drivers. For example, he fears they will watch the cameras and not the road.

He added that bus operators won’t see the full effect of the systems until September 2028. Currently, Switzer-CARTY does not have any external cameras on its buses but does have internal cameras on about 10 percent of its fleet based on customer specifications.

The company is in the process of testing external camera systems and installing a couple on school buses in anticipation of the new regulation, “just so we have a bit of a bit of an idea of what it is,” Bagdonas said.

Unlike the interior cameras and exterior stop-arm cameras that record footage, he noted the mandated systems will provide live feeds.

Camera Upkeep & Cost

Bagdonas said there are still questions to be answered on the new regulation. For example, how much will the cameras cost to add to the buses, and what will maintenance of the systems look like, especially in the winter.

“Sometimes you get some dirt on the back of the [cameras], so we’re going to have to monitor and ensure proper maintenance of the camera systems to ensure the technology is working the way it’s intended,” he said. “And then also there’s going to be a cost component. We don’t know what that cost component is, but that cost component is going to be transferred to us in the cost of the bus, and then we’ll have to determine on how we can see about getting some compensation for this safety feature from our customers.”

All camera systems require ongoing maintenance, Turner said. She noted that while there should be a minimum annual inspection to ensure correct positioning and the connections are functional, they will also need to be cleaned, especially during winter months.

She explained that Gatekeeper’s camera systems are specifically designed and tested to perform reliably, even in harsh winter conditions. She recommended that during routine pre-trip inspections, drivers should quickly verify that camera lenses are clear of residue, snow, or dirt and clean them as needed to ensure optimal visibility.

Bagdonas said Switzer-Carty customers are aware of the new mandate and the company is engaging with stakeholders and bus operators on next steps. He added that because the mandate doesn’t take effect for another year and a half, there’s still time to work through the details.

The post Canada Becomes First Country to Mandate External School Bus Surveillance Feeds appeared first on School Transportation News.

As Camera Systems Evolve, IT Collaboration Necessary

School Transportation News

By: Ryan Gray

14 April 2025 at 18:30

When student transporters seek new school bus equipment, what do they look for? The options can be intricately dizzying, prompting them to turn to a resource that previously assisted with mundane email issues and computer peripherals not working.

Susan Keller, like many student transportation leaders, relies on the expertise of her school district IT department to help make the right choices, especially when it comes to implementing a new camera system. The transportation manager for Cumberland Valley
School District in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, said IT played a “critical” role in upgrading to Safe Fleet camera systems and the cloud-based Commander video management system in August 2023.

“They provide all of the technical knowledge in achieving our dream of a hands-off school bus camera system,” she added. “We are now able to access video independently without inconveniencing contractors and drivers with requests to manually retrieve video.”

Cumberland Valley, she explained, uses several small and large contractors in addition to the 90 district school buses that operate three-tiers of service each day across a 103-squaree-mile service area. The school district purchases and installs the equipment into the contractors’ vehicles, a complex project in itself.

“While looking at various school bus camera models, I was in constant conversation with our IT department as to what each scenario would involve from their end,” she said. Several questions needed answers. Would the system require Wi-Fi access points on buildings? Would access points at contractor lots be prudent? Would the district choose cellular technology? If so, what would that annual cost be?

“There were many details that I would not have known to ask or look for that they were able to guide me in,” Keller shared.

In the end, IT drove the decision to utilize Wi-Fi hotspots with access spots at each school building and bus loop as well as the transportation facility. Cellular with its monthly data cost and live look-in feature was deemed too expensive and challenging to manage.

“Everybody’s always shorthanded,” she added. Keller said she can now respond to requests made from drivers during their route to download and review flagged footage at her desk. Previously, she shared, anyone including contractors could download video and
store it on their computers or upload it to Google Drive. “It was not as secure as we would have liked,” she explained.

Meanwhile, Denver Public Schools in Colorado is working closely with its IT department as well as multiple vendors on a suite of video solutions that includes AI-enhanced software.

Albert Samora, the executive director of transportation, said Denver is due for an upgrade, as the existing cameras date back to 2018. But first, he wants to ensure the current project, which was slowed by COVID-19, is a success.

The first phase, all video storage and management moving to the cloud, went as planned. Phase two, seamlessly connecting each school bus camera system to Wi-Fi and cellular for downloading, is in process.

“Our intention with this solution for our cameras was to have access anywhere in the city,” he explained. That entails school buses connecting to Wi-Fi at the transportation facility, using cellular while on route and then connecting again to Wi-Fi access points at each school building during drop-off and pick-up. That has been a challenge.

“We ran into the problem that when they would get to the schools, even though the network is the same network, because of the different IP address it would see [the attempted connection] as a threat,” he continued, adding the issue is with the school district firewall. “We’re currently working through that.”

The temporary solution is to only access videos at the transportation facilities via Wi- Fi. Progress has been slow, thanks to the COVID-19 slowdown that Samora said the district is just now emerging from. That led to the following recommendation.

“Take your advice from somebody technical. Pull technical teams together and have them make promises that are realistic,” he shared, citing the importance of working closely with the school district’s IT department to manage expectations and hold all parties accountable.

Phase three is expected to be the incorporation of live video from Samsara’s AI-enhanced driver coaching cameras, which Denver currently only uses in its white fleet vehicles, with the existing Safety Vision school bus cameras.

Currently, the district has a forward-facing camera out the front windshield that Samora said he would like replaced by the Samsara system that views the road and the driver. The four Safety System cameras would record footage of the stairwell, from the rear forward, the forward to the rear, and in the middle of the school bus.

Next, Samora said he’d like to take AI to the next level by using his camera system to predict other risk factors, such as bus aides working with students during routes. “I’m looking for a company that can provide me data on a possible [paraprofessional] striking a student,” citing a desire to avoid incidents like those that have occurred recently in neighboring school districts.

He added that he would be interested in creating personal space boundaries around students and staff, similar to a geofence, for detecting when a normal action crosses the line to something improper or downright illegal—the difference between an aide handing a child a tablet and the aide back-handing the child, or proper child safety restraint securement and inappropriate or illegal touching.

“Instead of me having to go through hundreds of hours of video, I can actually get a report that says the risk factor on this, if we said the risk factor is zero to 10, is a seven and a half. And that’s not acceptable. I’ve got to look at this, get a set of human eyes on it,” added.

Samora, who has a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering. “For me, it’s interesting. I don’t know that it’s a new idea, but I haven’t heard of the industry talking about this.”

He said he also wants to receive similar instant alerts to review video when yaw sensors detect, for example, driver acceleration and harsh braking that reaches a certain risk level. Student transportation operations rely heavily on IT, but none more so than First
Student, North America’s largest school bus contractor. Camera systems are just one piece—a vital one—of the extensive technology suite integrated across a fleet of 45,000 school buses.

However, managing the data, particularly video footage, presents the biggest challenge.
With all the data collection now possible for student transporters, video or otherwise,
that’s where IT can play an active role.

“You can get all this data from technology, but it’s what you do with it, right?” commented Melinda Hall, First Student’s operations support manager. “You need IT to pull the reports together, give you what you need, so that operations can then do something with it.”

That requires IT to be privy to conversations between transportation departments and vendors in terms of not only the technology but what school districts are looking and what parents are wanting school districts to deliver.

“Senior IT members are starting to go into the bidding proposal process and participate, because of the saturation of technology offerings,” said Brent Maher, First Student’s vice president of information technology, adding that for as large as the company is, IT can’t be a part of every deal. A school district IT department at a smaller scale likely would have similar time and workforce constraints. Maher said the most important aspect is for transportation to engage IT professionals for their expert perspectives and know-how.

“If a school district is going to invest any energy in their transportation technology management, we recommend they focus on student data,” he concluded.

Editor’s Note: As reprinted in the March 2025 issue of School Transportation News.

The post As Camera Systems Evolve, IT Collaboration Necessary appeared first on School Transportation News.

On the Block

School Transportation News

By: Carol Brzozowski

7 April 2025 at 19:26

School districts that have purchased some 2,000 Lion Electric school buses are in a wait-and-see mode regarding repairs and warranties following the company filing for and receiving protection from its creditors under the Canadian Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA).

Compounding the challenge in securing electric school buses are climate-related initiatives on the Trump administration radar.

In late January, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget listed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program—which has helped fund electric bus purchases—as one of the many federal spending programs the Trump administration attempted to freeze in January. Despite a federal judge blocking that move, the funds were slow to start flowing again at this report.

Meanwhile, Lion could be acquired through an auction of its assets by next month. A Lion representative said the company was not bankrupt or in liquidation, per “the recognition of the CCAA proceedings in the U.S. pursuant to Chapter 15 of the United States Bankruptcy Code.”

A School Transportation News report about Lion Electric’s financial status outlined the company’s many layoffs and an SEC filing announcing the resignation of company president Nicolas Brunet in November. At this report, all U.S. employees had been laid off, with only a handful of executives based in Canada still working.

In 2023, Lion Electric opened its Joliet, Illinois plant, a move celebrated with much fanfare and investment by elected officials and local business leaders. The 900,000-square-foot facility was hailed as the largest all-electric U.S. plant dedicated to medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicle production. The plant was expected to produce 20,000 school buses a year.

In all, Lion Electric has more than 2,200 electric commercial vehicles on the roads across North America, logging more than 62,000 miles a week and more than 32 million driven miles transporting 130,000 children, noted company spokesman Patrick Gervais.

Continued delays and challenges associated with the granting of subsidies to Lion’s clients related to the Canadian Zero-Emission Transit Fund program, Gervais added. “Given the capital-intensive nature of its business, the Lion Group has required significant investment and capital over the years to operate its business,” he explained. “Such investment and capital have come in the form of longterm debt.”

He said the timing of EPA Clean School Bus Program funding rounds was also a challenge.

Funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the program had been designed to provide $5 billion from fiscal years 2022 to 2026 to replace existing school buses with zero-emission and clean school buses. To date, 1,039 awards have been issued to 1,344 school districts and nearly $2.785 billion of the total $5 billion has been awarded, replacing 8,936 buses. But as of this report, when and if 2024 rebates and subsequent funds are in doubt. The EPA did not respond to a request for comment on Lion, referring STN instead to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Public Affairs, which also had not responded at this report.

Meanwhile, the phase-one bid deadline for the company and its assets was Feb. 5 with a phase-two bid deadline of March 7. Auctions as required take place during the week of March 10 with the selection of final bids on March 19. Approval application of successful bids takes place during the week of March 31. The earliest closing is April 7.

The application for sale and investment solicitation for the CCAA monitored by court-appointed Deloitte Touche states that Lion leases the Joliet plant as well as its Saint-Jerome, Quebec headquarters—which included manufacturing, R&D, and testing and experience centers—and Mirabel, Quebec battery manufacturing facility. Gervais said Lion continues to assist customers with the maintenance and servicing of their vehicles for school buses and trucks, including warranty, adding that customers can follow the same claims process for warranty repairs.

“We are conducting the necessary follow-ups and aim to provide the highest level of support possible in the circumstances to customers with their fleet,” he added. “Our service team remains in action to support customers.”

Gervais added Lion is also committed to providing clients with as much information as possible to assist them remotely in resolving their issues. “Complex repairs and technology-related breakdowns will be prioritized for on-site support during this period,” he said.

Lion Electric established experience/service centers: Three in California as well as one each in Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, Texas, Vermont and Washington. Only the Sacramento, California, location remained open at this report.

“It is important to emphasize that customer service is maintained for all customers, trucks and buses, regardless of the state or city they are located in,” Gervais said.

What’s Next for Lion and Its Customers?
Lion Electric sent an email to customers in December regarding its financial situation, stating that its management remained in control of the company during the CCAA process with the anticipation the customer’s existing “point person” at Lion would not change.

Despite the subsequent layoffs, Gervais said school transportation departments can work directly with parts suppliers as needed.

Yet many school districts find themselves with little to no customer support because their reps no longer work for the company. Or they have active purchase orders for new electric school buses that won’t be delivered.

Peoria Public Schools in Illinois was awarded a 2023 EPA Clean School Bus Program grant to purchase 15 electric buses and infrastructure. Joshua Collins, director of transportation and fleet services, said Peoria chose Lion because its electric vehicle manufacturing experience.

“At the time, they were building the plant in Joliet, so they were local and looked like they were the people to go with,” he added. “Fast forward a year later, and things didn’t go their way and didn’t work out.”

Collins noted he doesn’t know what’s left of the company. “It left us in limbo because we had made a purchase agreement with them,” he continued. “We’re navigating with our attorneys on what steps we should take and what we need to do. How do we separate ourselves from this? How do we end these service purchase agreements?

“We’ve moved on to another partner we are working with. We have to vacate our purchase agreement with Lion, which we’re still in the process of doing through our attorneys. We don’t want to get stuck with two purchase agreements.”

Collins said he was also concerned about a potential federal pause in funding “and we [hope we] are able to use those and move forward. It’s just been one thing after another, after another.”

Half of the 50-bus fleet operated by Herscher Community Unit School District 2 fleet in Illinois is comprised of Lion Electric buses, said Superintendent Dr. Richard Decman. He added that the school district selected Lion Electric because of manufacturing at now shuttered plant in nearby Joliet.

“Our district was given $9.875 million for the purchase of 25 electric buses and the related charging stations. Lion Electric worked directly with us to write the grant,
so that we did not have to worry about spending an inordinate amount of time on grant writing for something that may or may not happen,” he explained.

Decman said an additional benefit included projected long-term savings of operating electric buses compared to internal combustion engine buses. He said an analysis completed after one semester of use showed $125,000 to $150,000 in total savings per year.

Long-term health benefits to the school community are derived from less emissions from electric buses compared to diesel buses and the ability to get air-conditioned buses, he added.

“Weight is evenly distributed, the bus is quiet, and the bus is slightly larger, so the aisles and seats are more comfortable for the movement of passengers,” Decman added. “We wanted to get a head start on working out the kinks of implementing this type of technology as we believe it is likely a matter of time before more schools see the benefits.”

Decman indicated to Canadian media that while he’s been pleased with bus performance to date, it’s taking longer to secure replacement parts for minor maintenance issues, like replacing a stop arm motor, a door open/close motor, a heat sensor, and a strobe light fuse.

“Most if not all of our new contacts are no longer in the state,” said Decman. “Since we have our own mechanics, as long as we can get parts and have their experts show our guys what is needed, via Zoom is fine, location is not really an issue for most repairs.

“We just want to make sure we can get the parts in a timely fashion as well,” he continued. “Obviously, if a bus gets in an accident or needs major repairs, that will be a different story. Hopefully this all gets resolved one way or another.”

Decman added that his biggest concern is whether the warranties on the district’s buses will carry over if the company is sold.

Dr. Andrew Brooks, superintendent of schools for the Wethersfield District #230 in Kewanee, Illinois, said the purchase last fall of three Lion Electric buses was funded by EPA. Upon finding out the company was in financial trouble, he reached out to his service contact, who relayed that he had been laid off.

If Lion Electric cannot find a buyer, Brooks said the district will seek another supplier. “We are looking at Blue Bird, IC, and Thomas [Built Buses] models of EV buses,” he added.

Brooks said there is no delay in student transportation operations as Wethersfield awaits Lion Electric’s status “as they can still provide them on our timetable, if they power back up.”

Yarmouth School Department in Maine bought two Lion Electric buses in 2023 with federal grant money, said Superintendent Dr. Andrew Dolloff. The community’s Climate Action Committee along with students and school staff “placed a priority on awareness and action pertaining to climate change and use of renewable energy,” he said. “A quality EV bus program aligns with the town’s goal of being carbon neutral in the coming decade.”

Dolloff told Canadian media the Lion Electric buses often display messages indicating heating, electrical or battery problems, necessitating they be pulled out of service.

It has taken weeks to months to get someone from Lion Electric to visit the area and fix the issue, he said. “We have asked for the buses to be replaced, not likely or for compensation to be made so we can purchase others, also not likely, and have communicated with Maine’s Department of Education and the Governor’s Office, who have reached out to the EPA to see if there might be some relief provided through their grant programs,” Dolloff said.

Customers do have other options. “We are able to assist districts with maintenance on Lion EV buses. Maintenance on electric school buses is part of our offering to all districts, regardless, if you contract with First Student for home to school services or not,” noted
Danielle Becker, senior marketing manager for First Student, of the fee-based service. “We can provide maintenance for all vehicles including diesel/ gasoline yellow and white fleet. We are able to provide comprehensive preventative and corrective maintenance. Districts can contract directly with First Services or use the buying cooperative Sourcewell to contract with First Services for maintenance services.”

Much of the customer service Lion provided was via a proprietary remote diagnostics tool. Frank Naelitz, the director of electric vehicle maintenance for First Student, said any school bus customer should be wary about losing turnkey service when the provider ceases operation. Because the school bus contractor owns and operates 350 Lions—all of which operate in Quebec—Naelitz helped to create a technical assistance center and First Student’s own remote diagnostics tool, available at all 600 of its locations.

“That same infrastructure is able to provide some of that technical support to groups outside of First Student, if there is that need,” he explained. “That program does anything from finding service information to remoting into a diagnostics computer at the point of repair and helping them trouble shoot while connected to the vehicle, reviewing log files from various components. We could probably source parts at some point.”

Todd Hawkins, First Student’s senior vice president of maintenance, explained that all company technicians use tablets for work orders. “A tech can log in to the help desk and Frank can take over their iPad, take pictures of what they’re working on, draw on it, write in specs. He can walk them through a repair. We may end up dispensing these programs where we could talk to [techs] directly,” he added, noting the company won’t work on high-voltage issues without the customer first taking basic arc flash and other relevant training.

Editor’s Note: As reprinted in the March 2025 issue of School Transportation News.

The post On the Block appeared first on School Transportation News.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s New Transportation Leader Came Through the Ranks

School Transportation News

By: Taylor Ekbatani

4 April 2025 at 20:11

Delvico ‘Vec’ Dunn, the new executive director of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) in Charlotte, North Carolina, started his career as a school bus driver for CMS. He uses that experience to lead by example, especially since his CDL remains current.

Dunn started in pupil transportation in August 1997 as a school bus driver. When he was 18 years old, his parents told him he had to get a job, he shared. “I was one paper from signing up for the military, and a buddy who still drives now said, ‘Hey, they’re hiring bus drivers.’ ‘I said that’s something I would never do.’ But once doing it, I got the passion for it,” he said. “Never did I think it would be a career, though, just something to do. But as time passed and promotions started, I said ‘Hey, I like this.’ It was just about being in the community, being around others, meeting new people, and also seeing things and individuals.”

He transitioned to a lead driver with more office responsibilities and then became an operations technician that oversaw driver and monitor payroll within his area. He left CMS in 2006 to work at neighboring Union County Public Schools, in positions ranging from transportation specialist to operations manager to assistant director.

In 2014, Dunn returned to CMS as a transportation specialist and was promoted within a year to director of operations. In 2020, he became the director of fleet, which encompassed support services.

“Now here we are in 2025, I’ve come full circle to the highest position in our industry, within the CMS sector as the executive director of transportation,” he said. “So basically, starting from the bottom, going through different positions, going to another county and to run one of the largest transportation systems around the country.”

Starting his career as a school bus driver for the same department he’s leading, shapes his daily perspective and priorities. Because he sat in the bus driver’s seat, he said he knows what drivers deal with. And some of the same people that he drove alongside, still drive for CMS.

“To sit in every seat that we have within our department, it shows that I know each level. When an employee says you don’t understand, I fully understand. I drove a bus, I worked in office, I did payroll,” he explained “That’s the advantage I have, which made me more able to adjust to the role of being the executive director. So, the cliche, you don’t know where I come from, I truly do.”

Dunn noted he is following in the footsteps of Adam Johnson, who left CMS earlier this year to become the senior executive director of transportation for Atlanta Public Schools in Georgia.

“Me and Mr. Johnson have been tied to the hip for over 20 years,” Dunn said, adding that he was a supervisor when Dunn was a lead driver. Johnson was also the transportation director when Dunn returned to the district after working at Union County.

“He set high standards,” Dunn added.

He noted that he wants to continue to promote Johnson’s vision but also put his own spin on it. He shared that his leadership style has always been straightforward, and that the administration is only as strong as the front-line employees.

Leveraging Social Media at Transportation’s Level: Share your Story

When Thomas Miner ran the district-wide social media platforms for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, he repeatedly saw that transportation operations were being highlighted on the district’s main accounts. This kickstarted his transfer to work with transportation exclusively. He’s now the the operations specialist in charge of sharing transportation’s stories.

Miner said that while his position existed in transportation before he joined the department two years ago, former transportation director Adam Johnson incorporated more social and digital media elements into his role, which included creating transportation-specific social media accounts. Miner now not only manages department social media but also creates newsletters and distributes internal department messaging.

“We really do try to emphasize as much as we can in the department,” Miner said of using social media for transportation. “We try to share good news from across the department. When you have over 800 drivers, there are stories happening on our buses and throughout our department every day. So, we try to lift up as much of our good news as we can and show the community how we’re serving students and how we are working with schools and principals to make sure that we get students to and from school safely and on time.”

He said having their own social media channels gives transportation an avenue to share their story through photos and videos.

“We get to lift them up and kind of show the community what’s happening in transportation,” he said.

He noted that having a social media dedicated to transportation has changed the dynamic with parents and students in a positive way.

“The district itself has a real focus on communication and customer service, so we prioritize that in all the conventional ways,” he explained. “But we also use our social media tool to directly connect to students and parents. Sometimes they’ll send us messages of compliment. Sometimes they’ll send us a message of something that we need to look into. We really utilized that tool as one more avenue to connect and engage with parents and in the community.

“When we win awards, when we’re doing community service projects, we get to lift that up and show our side and show our story,” he continued, of potential posts. “So often, the news around school districts can be a little negative. We use this as an opportunity to lift up as much good as we can, and to use our platform to share our story.”

“We can’t forget about the drivers, the monitors, our area supervisors, our mechanics, our maintenance supervisors, they do the day-to-day nuts and bolts. If they’re doing their job effectively, it makes, as the executive director or manager, your day run smoothly,” he noted. “I truly believe the top is only strong as the bottom. If the foundation is shaky, the top will be shaky no matter how good or a true leader you have. To have the buy-in, that speaks volumes.”

He added that hiring an internal candidate to fill his role offers stability, but he noted it also comes with challenges as everyone is comfortable in their ways. “I make sure the folks know what my vision is, in parallel to what our district vision is: our goal is to transport students to and from school safely,” he added.

Operational Breakdown

CMS operates about 1,100 pieces of equipment, 838 of which are routed school buses. When Dunn first started driving, he said, CMS had over 1,000 routed buses. He explained that across the nation, student ridership is increasing, but drivers are diminishing.

“Everybody is seeing that shortfall around the industry,” he said, adding that retention is key. That can entail ensuring applicants have other driving job options once they receive their CDL.

He explained CMS was short 27 drivers for the 838 routed bus in mid-March. The biggest hurdle to overcome is driver retirements. “Every year we want to recruit, retain and retrain,” he said, adding that when an industry veteran retires, the district loses that level of 20 to 30 years of experience.

To help combat this, he said CMS offers over $20 per hour starting pay for new drivers. But in addition to finances, there is a positive culture to maintain, not necessarily within the department but on each school bus with student behavior. Dunn said the district prioritizes professional development and training to de-escalate conflicts when they arise. Additionally, transportation focus on self-incentive awards to recognize staff.

“It always can’t be monetary, but sometimes it’s that simple,” he said of recognizing drivers and showing appreciation. “Thank you for the service you’re doing.”

The district will also be holding its annual Bus Rodeo, which provides drivers with an outlet to compete against one another. “We try to keep them engaged and but it’s all about talking in those open lines of communication,” he said. “And also, my door is always open, as well as their area supervisor’s door.”

Delvico “Vec” Dunn was named executive director of transportation earlier this year.

He said CMS also has a bus driver committee, represented by all the 14 service areas the district operates out of five facilities. It’s a chance for drivers to not only bring concerns and questions to administrators needing answers to transportation leaders. This, he said, instills in the culture that managers aren’t simply making a given decision, but do so after getting buy-in from all staff members and making them feel a part of the team.

Technology Through the Ages

Two of the five CMS transportation locations, including the one where this interview was held, were updated within the past year. “That’s a first in my tenure because when I started in 1997, the newest bus garage had just opened up,” Dunn recalled.

**The Downs transportation facility at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools was updated in 2025.**

In terms of bus technology, Dunn said CMS has GPS, camera systems and tablets. He added that a wish list item, pending available budgetary resources, is RFID card technology. Dunn said the district has an app that can shows the bus location, but it doesn’t alert parents or guardians if their child is on the bus or if/when they got off.

He said another technology solution he’s eyeing is turn-by-turn directions on the tablets. He noted that whether the technology is a distraction has been debated, but he thinks a paper route is more dangerous than following an audible command.

When he started in the industry, Dunn said he and his fellow drivers didn’t even have radios, and the loading doors had to be manually opened and closed. “Now everything is on the steering wheel and buses have air conditioning,” he commented.

In his day behind the wheel, he said air conditioning was driving downhill with the windows open, or “all 32 down,” to catch a good breeze.

The post Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s New Transportation Leader Came Through the Ranks appeared first on School Transportation News.

Roundup: Green Bus Summit at STN EXPO East Sounds Optimistic Tone

School Transportation News

By: Claudia Newton

1 April 2025 at 22:30

CONCORD, N.C. – Expert panels presented by major school bus manufacturers at the Green Bus Summit centered on the theme of industry flexibility and resilience amid questions about the future of federal funding.

Blue Bird: The Right Bus for the Right Route: Managing Mixed Fleets

Tom Hopkins, business development manager for ROUSH CleanTech, speaks during a Green Bus Summit panel at STN EPXO East 2025.

Luke Patrick, director of maintenance and training for the South Carolina Department of Education, oversees a fleet of 5,620 electric, propane, gasoline and diesel school buses. Electric school buses, he said, are purchased using government funding, operate on shorter metro routes, and are placed on routes where depot facilities already have power on site. Propane has been good for the state because of reduced maintenance costs and gasoline buses are used sparsely in more remote areas.

No matter the fuel, he said good working relationships are needed with districts so implementation goes smoothly.

Stephen Whaley, eastern alternative fuels manager for Blue Bird, reviewed the current powertrain energy options of diesel, gasoline, propane and electric as well as their acquisition price tags and approximate range. Most school bus down time results from diesel aftertreatment requirements, he reminded.

Over 2,000 Blue Bird electric school buses are deployed in 42 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces, shared Brad Beauchamp, the OEM’s EV product segment leader. “We’re continuing to evolve this product to give you better range,” he confirmed.

He added that a DC fast charge solution is better than Level 2 AC, but a yard planning option is best for long-term fleet electrification goals.

Tom Hopkins, business development manager for drivetrain manufacturer and longtime Blue Bird propane partner ROUSH CleanTech, reviewed the cost savings that buses running on safe, clean, domestically produced, affordable propane Autogas produce compared to diesel.

Whaley reviewed the easy-to-implement and scalable propane infrastructure. While alternative fuel tax credits are generally available, he said he’s not sure they will be renewed by Congress. Even without those incentives, those fueling and maintenance cost savings add up to a savings over diesel, he added.

Real-time Visual Notes created by Ink Factory.

CowFartBus: A Zero Carbon Alternative for Existing Diesel Buses

Robert Friedman, managing director for CowFartBus, speaks during a Green Bus Summit session at STN EXPO East 2025.

Robert Friedman, managing director for CowFartBus powered by Demi Diesel Displacer and Neufuel, explained the company’s mission of converting existing diesel school buses to run on one tank of renewable natural gas (RNG) and another of diesel. There’s no compromise in vehicle or fleet logistics and no need to buy new buses, he said.

He added that Renewable natural gas fueling pressure is lower than regular CNG, so the affordable filling station is simply 2-feet by 2-feet. The bus can still run solely on diesel, if needed. He explained that 26 buses can be converted to CowFartBus for the price of one new electric school bus, resulting in optimal sustainability.

Friedman confirmed the refitted buses’ durability in harsh altitude and weather conditions, as they are being used in multiple districts including Eagle County School District in Colorado, which has six of these buses and is adding eight more with plans to convert the whole fleet.

“We’ve been so happy with this system and see the promise in it,” said Joe Reen, the district’s executive director of operations.

He relayed that the budget is tight with a driver shortage necessitating that 20 buses each run about 100 miles a day in rapidly changing altitude and weather conditions. But the buses do not experience power loss. Even 30-year bus drivers like them, he shared.

Some community members desire greater environmental sustainability while others want cost savings, and CowFartBus hits both those points, he said. It was a good alternative for his district, Reen added, since electric doesn’t work for their region.

“There’s not a single silver bullet,” Friedman agreed.

Luke Patrick, director of maintenance and training for the South Carolina Department of Education, oversees transportation of 170,000 students a day on 5,620 buses with an average route length of 70 miles, consuming 11 million gallons of fuel per year. He said a big draw for the state was that the RNG complements diesel but doesn’t replace it. Charleston School District near the coast is currently running two CowFartBuses, and Patrick said he is looking to acquire 50 more.

Both districts reported high satisfaction levels from the drivers, which is good news for driver retention efforts.

Friedman recommended converting older buses if manufacturer warranty is a concern but confirmed that CowFartBus covers the warranty on buses they convert. “Our longest running bus has 800,000 miles on it,” CowFartBus Director Sam Johnson added.

Maintenance Tools from IC Bus

An IC Bus session on maintenance tools at the Green Bus Summit during STN EXPO East 2025.

Regional Sales Manager Marc Trucby reviewed updated aspects of OnCommand Connection, a platform that comes standard on all IC buses since 2023 and collects vehicle health data through factory or aftermarket telematics devices.

He also shared information about a prospecting tool that helps districts find green bus funding and a partnership with Sourcewell for streamlining the RFP and bid process.

Gregory Baze, IC’s national account manager for parts, discussed the Repairlink solution that is designed to provide school bus repair shops with 24/7 online parts ordering. It gives technicians an easy way to connect with dealers and suppliers for fast, accurate parts sourcing and communications.

The new addition helps school bus technicians more efficiently search for and reorder the parts they need from a larger inventory selection, he explained. A VIN-based catalog, saved shopping carts, price comparisons and coupon discounts are additional benefits.

“You are essentially your own dealer looking up your parts,” he said.

Attendees asked about various aspects of placing orders and Baze provided details on how school bus mechanics and technicians can do so.

For security purposes, districts can only enter information for school buses they own and operate and save the data into the system so they can shop by bus for any specific parts it needs. Baze confirmed that contracted buses are also eligible for Repairlink and that customer service can work with districts to complete this.

“We do a lot beyond buses,” Baze concluded.

Thomas Built Buses: ICE – The Future Outlook for Traditional & Alternate Fuels in School Buses

Francisco Lagunas, the North America bus segment general manager for Cummins, and Daoud Chaaya, vice president of sales, aftermarket and marketing for Thomas Built Buses, speak during a Green Bus Summit session at STN EXPO East 2025.

Thomas Built Buses General Sales Manager Jim Crowcroft stated that diesel is still very much a part of the school bus landscape.

Luke Patrick, director of maintenance and training for the South Carolina Department of Education, shared that his fleet is over 80 percent diesel due to needed range. It also contains over 500 propane buses, which he said have about half the range but lower operating costs and fewer maintenance issues. While his electric school buses (ESBs) come with range concerns, he said that district collaboration is key to improvement.

Amidst upheavals in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and federal government funding, the panelists reiterated OEM commitment to both ICE and electric options to serve customer needs.

“It’s our job to learn what your goals are and support you though it, whether you’re looking at diesel or other alternative fuels,” said Kelly Rivera, general manager for school bus dealer Carolina Thomas.

Daoud Chaaya, vice president of sales, aftermarket and marketing for Thomas, said he sees diesel and octane as a bridge to greater sustainability until ESB Total Cost of Ownership and price parity are achieved. Cummins’ Francisco Lagunas, the North America bus segment general manager, noted that the company’s octane engine will be available by January 2026 and the B7.2 diesel engine by January 2027.

Chaaya said that despite uncertainty in government funding, several U.S. states indicate a firm commitment to school bus electrification, plus both the knowledge and support networks are only growing stronger.

“By the end of the year a lot more clarity will come around,” he predicted.

Rivera pointed out that diesel buses are now being manufactured with cleaner engines by default. Lagunas added that manufacturing cleaner diesel buses increases their price while ESB manufacturing is becoming cheaper as that product improves.

“We need to diversify,” he said of OEMs.

Luke Patrick, director of maintenance and training for the South Carolina Department of Education, and Francisco Lagunas, the North America bus segment general manager for Cummins, speak during a Green Bus Summit session at STN EXPO East 2025.

Patrick spoke to the importance of proactive training when rolling out school buses with a different fuel or energy source than technicians are used to.

Chaaya confirmed that dealers and school districts are all included in the collaborative decision on what an OEM manufactures. “We want to thrive, not just survive in this ecosystem,” he said.

The panelists agreed that clarity, communication and speedy dialogue with the EPA is helpful for unified, stable OEM decisions and concrete answers to districts. “In absence of decision making, rumors and anxiety run wild,” Chaaya commented.

The speakers also expressed optimism for the future as student transporters are a resilient group. “It’s a really exciting time to be in student transportation as there are lots of products out there to meet your challenges,” Rivera concluded.

The post Roundup: Green Bus Summit at STN EXPO East Sounds Optimistic Tone appeared first on School Transportation News.

Thomas’ Reed Outlines Focus on Fuel, Power Options Based on Customer Duty Cycle

School Transportation News

By: Ryan Gray

25 March 2025 at 20:54

School bus manufacturing leadership has seen a flurry of activity over the past six months. True to form, Thomas Built Buses looked within the Daimler Truck North America family for its next president and CEO to succeed Kevin Bangston, who now leads Daimler Truck Financial Services. T.J. Reed got his start at Daimler Truck in September 1998 and has spent 19 years total with the company, and nearly another six years spent at Meritor heading its global electrification as well as front drive train businesses. He was tapped in October to lead Thomas.

“It feels like five, six years already, and that’s been a good thing,” he told School Transportation News last month. “Early on, I had my first trade shows. I was blown away [by] how the entire industry was really on the same page, not only the camaraderie and the spirit of working together [but] on a common mission. But it was OE’s, suppliers, districts, contractors really just loving what they do and being passionate about school buses. That’s rubbed off. And you can’t help but feel that when you’re in High Point at Thomas.”

Thomas would not comment on potential tariff impact, but the American Trucking Associations’ outlook is a potential price increases of up to $35,000 for a heavy-duty truck, granted those are made in Mexico whereas Thomas is not.

Meanwhile, Reed said employees are “pumping out” high-quality school buses every single day and benefitting from increased investment to accomplish the job. In July, the manufacturer announced its new Saf-T-Liner HDX2 school bus and moving production to the C2 SafT-Liner plant in Archdale, North Carolina, for increased efficiency and quality.

He also discussed the HDX2 as well as efficiency improvements to the second-generation Jouley electric school bus, the continued role of diesel, and more.

The following transcript was edited for clarity and space.

STN: Talk about why Thomas chose the Accelera e-axle to power the latest Jouley.

TJ Reed: I think the biggest thing, Ryan, and when you look at it, I would say the technical concept or the promise of an e-axle is you’re not only increasing performance from an efficiency perspective, you’re lowering the weight, you’re improving packaging. It’s ideally suited for school bus, even a last mile item. If you think about it, you’re taking a lot of components that are inside the frame rails that add a lot of weight, and you’re basically collapsing it down inside the housing of a carrier. And you got your traditional axle, you’ve got your motor and your transmission all in a compact space, and
that frees up a lot of room for batteries to be placed in between the rails, and you can shorten the wheelbase. That had been some of the challenges with the early generations. You were pretty restricted on the variation of the product. And as we know, school buses are pretty custom. So, this just opens up a lot of flexibility. And the other great thing is this continued maturity of components. The product’s been out in the market for a while, been operating in a heavy-truck configuration. We know it’ll live in the life cycle and certainly Cummins/Accelera is a great partner. They have a lot of resources and know-how. All those things come together. It could be just a much better experience for the districts and the bus operators. Just another step in the progression. This is great to see it come to market now.

STN: We have seen some electric school bus market consolidation recently. What is Thomas’ perspective on ramping up production to meet demand? How is Thomas positioning itself to meet that demand?

Reed: It’s a long-term play. As we like to say, we’re leading with the long view. At the end of day, school bus is the ideal duty cycle when you got majority of ranges under 100 miles a day. You’ve got overnight charging in the depot. You’ve got a lot of stop and go for regenerative braking. It’s ideally set so that it is specific to school buses. But you know, part of Daimler, globally we serve markets all around the world and want to lead in this space. With that, we work with a lot of different partners, from battery partners, drive systems, accessories, financial services. It’s a significant investment for our dealers as well. [Daimler has] continued to invest, like in the Greenlane [charging station joint venture]. Those things take time to put in place, and you don’t make investments on short-term plays. This is a long-term play, and this is an area that we think is going to be not only the right thing to do for our environment, for our communities, but it’s going to be the right long-term play for our customers from an efficiency and certainly from a health and community perspective, especially on school buses.

That’s why it’s important we have what I would call our core business based upon internal combustion engines. That generates the cash flow that allows us to invest in a lot of this technology. We’ve got, I would say, that very phased approach, where we install, we learn, we adapt, we perfect, we continue to move forward. That’s not only just with us, that’s with our customers, as we learn how to put these new vehicles in applications that they hadn’t been in before. We’ve been doing internal combustion engines for over 100 years, and that was always changing and evolving. So, there’s nothing different here. But it’s nice, too, from a Daimler perspective, we have the global toolbox, that know-how. There are components and systems that we can use that work for us in a school bus application, some that don’t. So, we have that optionality to really work with a lot of different partners, including ourselves. That gives us a lot of capability.

STN: We’ll get back to diesel in a moment. Obviously, range is a challenge with electric school buses. But infrastructure has been named by many as the biggest challenge to adoption and scalability. Does that continue to be the number one obstacle? Are there others?

Reed: We have a kind of famous calculation that we always talk about in the marketplace. You’ve got to have infrastructure readiness. You’ve got to have a vehicle that’s ready. Then, you’ve got to have basically the economics from a TCO of operation. If any one of those factors is zero, the calculation is zero. And certainly, we’re still in the very early days of infrastructure. So, for us to get to the point where we’re going to start to scale and see higher volumes, we’ve got to have infrastructure certainly coming in at a much greater pace. That’s not just only for school buses, that’s commercial vehicles, that’s passenger cars, that’s everything, in general. I think that theme hasn’t changed. We’ve seen investment, we’ve seen partnerships, but those need to continue to scale up. Then the second part of the equation is, we ’ve got the vehicles. They’re ready. They’re performing in the market today, and they’re getting better and better every day. And as they do that, that’s going to increase volume. As volume increases, that’s going to start to bring the cost down to help with the TCO parity. All those three things need to line up, and infrastructure remains the biggest challenge, not just in the school bus industry but really across the board.

STN: What role has the EPA Clean School Bus Program played in terms of pricing electric school buses compared to supply chain congestion?

Reed: There’s certainly circular logic when it comes to supply and demand in how that impacts costs. I would say this, from a technology development what we’re looking to do in our longterm plans [is] for component systems that drive down costs, that are getting, I would say better performance, more range. The reality is, in the near-term, those are still very low volume systems, and you know that at the end day that battery-electric
vehicles will be significantly more expensive than internal combustion engines from a
scale perspective. There was the [viewpoint] that battery cell cost was going to start to come down, and then you really saw the supply chain crunch… I would say commodities that go into battery development spiked. So, prices went up. We were dealing with that. And now, too, it is absolutely true in these early days [that] funding is critically important to kind of drive the early development of those early adopters. And as that either steps down or is removed, then the cost obviously goes up, and that then kind of lowers volume. I wouldn’t say it’s going to stop our progress, but it will certainly have an impact and slow it. But again, we see it as a long-term view, that it’s not an if, it’s a when. Now that one, I can’t tell you, but it’s still a situation where we probably got to have the infrastructure coming back in. There’s got to be some level of subsidies for that. In the meantime, we’re all working in unison to bring better technology to market at a lower cost, so that takes time to do, collectively.

STN: We’ve also seen an industry trend toward bigger electric school buses. Do you have any plans that you’re willing to talk about as to an eventual electric HDX2?

Reed: I’ll foreshadow this. Some great news is coming. But what I would tell you is we absolutely see the need in the market. We absolutely see the need in our product portfolio, and we have some great solutions, so stay tuned.

STN: Daimler Trucks North American recently added investment into Detroit Diesel, and the California Air Resources Board ceased seeking additional federal waivers to fully implement its Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rule for heavy-duty trucks. How do these developments impact the school bus market?

Reed: The Detroit Diesel investment, that’s more for our heavy-duty products, more on the truck side. Everything that we do on the school bus is medium range. That’s Cummins, our partner there. When you look at that, just in terms of diesel, we believe you need all types because the applications are so vast, that the use cases are so different that you need a lot of different technologies to drive to zero emissions. Diesel has a critical role to play. And you’re right, with a lot of investment not only by us in our proprietary engines but our partners from Cummins and our competitors as well, it is continuing to lower emissions. You’ve got GHG phase three that will be coming in 2027. There’s additional tailpipe reductions. All those are being engineered into our buses now. I mean significantly lower NOx and particulate matter, even over the last 10 years. These are much cleaner running engines today. There are requirements, yes, for the ACT rule, where in some states, in order to be able to sell internal combustion engines, you have to have a certain number of battery electric. But that’s been, I would say, one of the success stories of the Clean School Bus Program. It’s seeded enough diesel capability or opportunity in some of these states, we haven’t had an issue with that. Diesel is going to continue to play a role as well as other modes of propulsion. We’re invested in all.

STN: And in terms of gasoline or octane, Thomas is also coming out with an option provided by Cummins in 2026 or 2027.

Reed: We’re making investments across different modes of propulsion, different emissions technologies. You’ve got to have answers for all your customers, no matter what their duty cycle is. And octane, you know, gasoline will play a big role for that. We’re excited about that as well.

STN: Thank you

Editor’s Note: As reprinted in the March 2025 issue of School Transportation News.

The post Thomas’ Reed Outlines Focus on Fuel, Power Options Based on Customer Duty Cycle appeared first on School Transportation News.

Superintendent Snapshot: Florida District Depends on Transportation

School Transportation News

By: Taylor Ekbatani

4 March 2025 at 00:18

Dr. David K. Moore, the superintendent for the School District of Indian River County in Florida, referred to school bus drivers as transportation professionals, adding they are the first team members to “greet our students in the morning and the very last team members to wish them a good evening after school.”

At a Glance: Indian River Schools

Number of drivers: 72

Number of routes: 68

Student transported daily: 7,000

Miles traveled yearly: 1.6 million

Moore noted that school bus drivers have an “incredible responsibility” to transport students safely to and from school. In addition, transportation plays a role in transporting students to and from a variety of enriching and extracurricular activities offered by Indian River.

“We depend on our transportation professionals to support students in arriving to school on time so that we can maximize the instructional time that we have,” he added.

One major district initiative, Moore said, is sustaining the rate of accelerated achievement outcomes and expanding focus on school innovation to create a portfolio of offerings for the community.

“We continue to build and maintain robust data systems and infrastructure to not only drive unprecedented rates of improvement in student achievement, but also to ensure fiscal and organizational responsibility through our system,” he said.

Indian River also operates a 100-percent, propane-fueled school bus fleet with a current project focusing on adding a new propane fueling station.

Ahead of the 2025 Superintendent of the Year being named on March 6 at the National Conference on Education in New Orleans, Louisiana, School Transportation News sat down with those in charge of transportation operations at the respective districts to gain a better understanding of how the services function. The Superintendent of the Year Award is sponsored by AASA: The School Superintendents Association, along with Corebridge Financial and Sourcewell, to celebrate the contributions and leadership of public-school superintendents.

This year’s four finalists were selected from 49 state superintendent award winners (Hawaii was not included) and were judged based on their exhibited leadership for learning, communication, professionalism and community involvement.

A $10,000 college scholarship will be presented in the name of the 2025 National Superintendent of the Year to a student at a high school the winning superintendent graduated from or from the school district the winner now leads.

Jennifer Idlette, director of transportation, said workplace culture is positive with a strong teamwork foundation. She noted that the team is often acknowledged and appreciated for their efforts.

She noted transportation is able to maintain drives in excess of routes, but face challenges when illnesses, absences and academic and athletic trips are added in.

“We are required to split (double-up) routes frequently,” she said. “We focus on recruiting and hiring year-round, $300 recruitment bonus paid to district employees for referrals who are hired, and we offer an optional 40-hour work week for drivers by assigning them as school support during mid-day break.”

Idlette said Moore informs his departments of district initiatives and provides support when needed to address and resolve concerns in a timely manner.

Dr. Moore’s Education History

Moore said he started his education career as an exceptional student education teacher and school counselor. Five years in, he began serving in a variety of district leadership roles until he became the superintendent at Indian River County five years ago.

He shared that his father served as a principal for 21 years at the same school and had the greatest influence on cultivating his unwavering purpose as an educator.

“Naturally a very quiet man, my father would come to life when speaking about teaching and learning,” Moore added. “Many of the times I felt most connected to dad was when we would discuss his life’s passion for education, a passion that would be replicated in me. I watched my father cultivate growth, ownership and ambitious expectations at the school he led.”

Without realizing it, Moore said he was learning how “leaders adapt, inspire, and invest in people.

“Looking back, I was observing the intangible elements of culture that have shaped my beliefs and actions throughout all my leadership experiences and formed the building blocks for building sustainable, high-quality learning environments that our students deserve,” he added.

Moore said that being a finalist of the AASA Superintendent of the Year is something he is proud of for the recognition it brings his entire school district team.

“For them to be recognized across the state for their unwavering investments in and collective commitment to providing high quality educational experiences for all students, while realizing unprecedented academic outcomes,” he said. “Individually, I see this as an opportunity to be an ambassador and advocate for public education, to uplift all public education leaders in being authors of our own reform, and to demonstrate that public education can deliver the outcomes that all students deserve.”

The post Superintendent Snapshot: Florida District Depends on Transportation appeared first on School Transportation News.

Superintendent Snapshot: Staying Connected with Departments, Students

School Transportation News

By: Taylor Ekbatani

24 February 2025 at 21:17

Dr. Walter B. Gonsoulin, Jr., noted that becoming a finalist for the 2025 National Superintendent of the Year award was the culmination of a lot of hard work put in by a lot of people at Jefferson County Schools in Alabama.

He explained the importance of staff, administrators, teachers, students and parents who played a role in the honor.

“Yes, I am the leader of the school district, but a leader is only as good as the people who support him or her,” he said. “I have a tremendous cabinet and team of administrators who work tirelessly to do what’s best for students. Our teachers ensure that our students are learning and getting the best education possible. Our students work hard and take ownership in their own education. Our parents partner with us to ensure that their students are successful. I did not accomplish this by myself.”

Ahead of the 2025 Superintendent of the Year being named on March 6 at the National Conference on Education in New Orleans, Louisiana, School Transportation News sat down with those in charge of transportation operations at the respective districts to gain a better understanding of how the services function. The Superintendent of the Year Award is sponsored by AASA: The School Superintendents Association along with Corebridge Financial and Sourcewell to celebrate contributions and leadership of public-school superintendents.

This year’s four finalists were selected from 49 state superintendent award winners (Hawaii was not included) and were judged based on their exhibited leadership for learning, communication, professionalism and community involvement.

A $10,000 college scholarship will be presented in the name of the 2025 National Superintendent of the Year to a student at a high school the winning superintendent graduated from or from the school district the winner now leads.

Kevin Snowden, the transportation director for the district, is in his second year running the department after coming out of retirement. Snowden has served in various roles in student transportation, including as the state director at both the Florida and Alabama departments of education and as president of the Southeastern States Pupil Transportation Conference.

He explained that while Jefferson County is fully staffed, sub-drivers are hard to come by when a route driver calls out. They district is in the process of working to increase the sub pool. However, he noted many transportation office staff members and mechanics have their commercial driver’s licenses and help when needed.

To encourage driver attendance, he said drivers with perfect attendance are invited to a special event hosted by transportation. One driver, Peggy Coats, hasn’t missed a day of work in six years.

Initiatives Involving Transportation

One of the biggest initiatives over the past few years that directly involves transportation, Gonsoulin explained, involves the district’s Signature Academy Program. He explained the district has 13 high schools assigned into four zones (North, South, East and West.) Within that geographic region students can apply to any of the Signature Academies, classes that focus on a field of interest. Such as culinary arts, cybersecurity, engineering, and more.

Typically, students take a bus, provided by transportation, for their one academy class. Transportation then brings the student back to their home school following that class, where they will remain for the rest of the day.

“These educational opportunities absolutely would not be possible without our dedicated transportation staff,” he said. “They ensure that each student gets to their academy destination safely and on time.”

Additionally, transportation is working to install Wi-Fi hotspots on all district buses. Jefferson County provides each student with a Chromebook, that they will be able to use to complete school assignments while riding to and from school.

“They’ll be able to review for a test or start their homework before even getting to their house,” he added.

Snowden noted that some routes are 45 minutes to an hour one way. The district was able to utilize federal funds from the E-Rate program to make the purchase happen.

Jefferson County Schools: At a glance

Number of school buses 488

Routes: 552, 97 of which are special needs

Student’s transported: 20,000

Miles traveled yearly: 4,000,640 miles

He explained that Wi-Fi-equipped buses will also allow for additional technology to be implemented on the buses such as turn-by-turn navigation, utilizing a driver time clock — as opposed to time sheets— adding another form of communication on the bus, and student tracking. It’s unknown how the district would proceed if the Supreme Court of the U.S. ends the Universal Services Funds.

While the current fleet of school buses is 100 percent diesel Jefferson County recently purchased 40 gasoline school buses that should arrive in April.

“We have longer routes, and so we don’t know that propane, electric or CNG would be necessarily a good fit for us,” Snowden explained, adding that neighboring districts do use alternative fuels and energy.

Building Relationships

Snowden noted during this tenure in transportation that he’s worked for at least three good superintendents and ranked Gonsoulin among the best. “He’s a cut above many superintendents, good leader, good spokesman, just a good person,” he said.

He provided examples, such as not only listening but asking follow-up questions on department needs.

**Dr. Walter B. Gonsoulin, Jr., superintendent at Jefferson County Schools in Alabama, is a finalist for the 2025 National Superintendent of the Year award.**

“He makes good decisions and promotes the board in our direction, as far as being able to present our needs to the Board of Education,” Snowden added. “So, when they vote on things, they vote favorably. He’s very supportive in getting the job done when we have a need.”

Snowden noted Gonsoulin makes department heads feel comfortable telling him their needs.

Gonsoulin added that having a working relationship with the transportation department is important because school buses are an integral part of the school system.

“We run over 450 routes every single day,” he noted. “This is a massive operation. I have to have my pulse on what is happening with that department and have good people running it. If it’s not running well, and students aren’t getting to where they need to be and on time, that is going to cause a ripple effect throughout the instructional day.”

He added that school bus drivers are the first school employee that many students see in the morning and the last that they see before going home in the afternoon.

Dr. Walter B. Gonsoulin Jr. was the first person in his immediate family to graduate from high school and attend college. Growing up his mother worked three jobs, and his father drove for a taxi company. He said his parents stressed to him and his sisters the importance of education and the doors it could open. He grew up in New Iberia, Louisiana and has had many different positions in education, including teacher, coach, principal, assistant superintendent and now superintendent of Jefferson County Schools in Alabama.

“I think I’ve always had a love for education,” he shared. “When I was in elementary school, I got an award for reading. And I remember thinking, ‘I can get an award for this?’ I didn’t read to get the award. It wasn’t anything intentional. I read because I enjoyed reading and enjoyed learning new things.

“I think over the years, that love for learning evolved into wanting to help others learn,” he continued. “The desire to help others, and the nudging from a relative who was already working in education, is ultimately what led me to make it my career. I have been in this field for 35 years now, and I still love waking up in the morning. Coming to work every day is still such a joy!”

“They are an essential part of the learning process,” he said. “They can set the whole tone of the day for a student. They’re not just drivers, they’re teachers, mentors, and people our students admire.”

Gonsoulin said transportation should be an important part of the job for any superintendent.

“Our drivers are the people we trust to get our children safely to school and back,” he continued. “Our mechanics are the ones we trust to make sure the buses are safe and in good working order. Our transportation administrative staff ensures that all those routes run smoothly and that our personnel are properly trained.”

He advised other districts to find a process that works and stick with it, noting that Snowden reports directly to one of his deputy superintendents. “This chain of command facilitates the movement of information extremely quickly,” he said. “If there are any issues that arise, I’m one of the first people notified.”

He added that school administrators all have a point of contact at the district transportation office, which ensures everyone is on the same page if a route is running late or there’s mechanical issues.

Snowden said it takes a team effort. If the team is not going in the same direction, he said they won’t arrive at the location.

“Every part of education, whether it be your child nutrition program, your nursing program, your maintenance program, your transportation program, if everybody doesn’t have a common goal for the safety of the students, for the welfare of the students, we’re never going to get there,” Snowden concluded. “We all have to be focused in the right direction. And Dr G is great at pointing us in that direction.”

The post Superintendent Snapshot: Staying Connected with Departments, Students appeared first on School Transportation News.

Combatting Illegal Passing with Awareness, Technology

School Transportation News

By: Ruth Ashmore

24 February 2025 at 18:59

Three students died from injuries caused by motorists who illegally passed a school bus during the 2023-2024 school year, according to the National School Bus Loading and Unloading Survey conducted by the Kansas State Department of Education. Meanwhile, the annual National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) illegal passing survey estimated over 43.5 million illegal school bus passes occurred during the 2022-2023 school year.

These findings highlight the constant safety issue of drivers who do not honor the school bus stop arm thus putting the lives of students at risk.

“This is not just a traffic violation. It is a matter of life and death,” said Lori Jetha, vice president of marketing for Safe Fleet, a manufacturer of stop arms, cameras and illegal passing warning systems.

Federal government steps to address this issue include analysis of state laws regarding illegal passing and various legislation on the use of stop-arm cameras to prosecute violators. Student transporters are reconsidering routes that require students to cross the street to board or exit their bus and emphasizing training of school bus drivers as well as students on proper loading and unloading.

It is also vitally important to equip districts with the technology and training they need to be proactive about this incredibly important safety issue. “Everyone on the road is responsible for the safety of others, yet there is a rise of illegal school bus passings across North America that put school aged children’s lives at risk every day,” said Brett Kuchiak, the specifications and compliance manager for First Light Safety Products, which manufacturers school bus illumination systems.

He continued that it is crucial to “implement changes on our end that can positively change a driver’s behavior.” Jetha shared how Osceola County School District in Florida is utilizing Safe Fleet’s Stop Arm Violation Enforcement System (SAVES) system that was launched last June. It provides a three-step approach, the first being illuminated stop arms and LED driver alerts to improve visibility. Step two uses radar, predictive analytics and AI-enhanced software to provide an audible warning to students if a motorist will illegally pass the bus. Finally, the SAVES system also “automatically captures and processes stop-arm violations to aid in issuing citations and deter future incidents.”

Randy Wheeler, the assistant transportation director at Osceola, added that the system helps modify motorist behavior, with the goal of improving student safety. “With the SAVES system installed on just three buses since December, we’ve detected over 500 violations. That’s terrifying to us as school bus operators,” he said.

Joshua Hinerman, the director of transportation for Robertson County Schools in Tennessee, confirmed the high numbers of illegal passing incidents. He noted his district has recorded 767 stop-arm violations in the 2023-2024 school year. He continued that the district has had 880 reported stop-arm violations in just the first semester of the current school year, which he attributes to driver training that allows them to electronically report illegal passing incidents using onboard bus tablets. He explained that these tablets allow drivers to record their bus number, location and time of the incident with a press of a button which allows for data collection that can be provided to law enforcement when looking for areas of repeated illegal passing violations.

Technology plays a significant role in aiding student safety and providing a quick way to track and report illegal passing. John Legus, director of transportation at Berrien Springs Public Schools in Michigan, discussed the benefits of stop-arm cameras. “The drivers main focus should always be on the location of the kids while making a school bus stop,” he said. “Our stop-arm cameras allow us to go back and get the license plate and other pertinent information when the bus returns to the lot.”

Arby Creach, the recently retired director of transportation director at Osceola County, recalled video footage that showed a student jumping back as a vehicle sped past the stop arm at 65 mph in a 25 mph zone.

“Even now, thinking about it sends chills down my spine. It’s a serious undertaking, protecting these kids, and we need to consider every viable option to help ensure their safety,” Creach said.

Although a stop arm is already an indicator that motorists must stop, many districts have found success implementing lighted stop arms equipped with flashing lights. “Anything that will snap the drivers out of their distractions and draw attention to the stopped school bus is worth looking at and implementing where appropriate,” said Don Paul, transportation supervisor for Washington Township Schools in New Jersey. “In areas where we have implemented the First Light Stop Arms, we have seen a drastic reduction in illegal passing.”

Legus noted that the illuminated signage at his district, also provided by First Light, “clearly indicate that a motorist is approaching a school bus and not a dump truck.” He added that the buses are also equipped with an LED light system that activates when the exterior door is opened on the passenger and drivers’ side of the bus, as well as overhead strobing lights, both of which draw attention to students exiting or entering the bus.

David Bowman, transportation director at Lakeland School Corporation in Indiana, explained how different technology offerings can work together to further student safety. “Our stop-arm cameras are excellent in capturing people who pass our stopped bus. However, they are reactive,” said Bowman. “First Light’s Illuminated School Bus Signs and LED warning lights are all proactive in helping motorists realize it’s a school bus and to stop”.

Kuchiak discussed First Light’s published Stop Arm Efficacy Pilot Study and how “building on top of that model to collect additional data points from more sources, we are able to prove the positive effects improving conspicuity has on decreasing illegal passing of the school bus.”

He shared that the median decrease of illegal passings because of enhanced school bus illumination is 64 percent, with an almost 90 percent decrease in infractions during low-light hours. “It is clear that increasing the visibility of the school bus, and the action required by the motorists on the road [to stop] that we have found part of the solution needed to get to our goal of zero violations, zero accidents and zero fatalities,” he added.

Alfredo Escalera, fleet supervisor at Seminole County Public Schools in Florida, another user of the Safe Fleet illegal passing technology, said people are going to see these added safety features and question why the technology wasn’t available years ago.

“It’s going to be a no-brainer at that point,” he said. “The systems would be life savers. It only makes sense to have these safety features on-board.”

Training also plays a large role. At Berrien’s transportation operations, Legus said that training is continuous and includes monthly reviews to discuss transportation related events and a weekly newsletter that drivers can use in everyday work with the students. Paul said his district also provides training material to the drivers and that students (up to fifth grade) are given annual training in Danger Zone and school bus safety.

Tennessee’s Hinerman shared specific driver training protocols from his operations. “When the driver makes the stop, they are taught to look and make sure all vehicles have come to a stop before making eye contact with the student and motioning the student to cross, during that time the driver should be constantly keeping their eye moving and looking for danger/ hazards.”

He also noted that drivers are trained to use a designated hand signal to indicate to students that it is safe to cross, i.e. a thumbs up. “Do not use waving their hand for the signal,” he advised, “as car drivers might [think drivers] mean they are waving their vehicle pass.”

Staying in a vigilant state of mind when on the road is crucial for drivers and students, he explained. “For drivers it reminds us to be constantly looking before coming to a stop and never assume that the other vehicle is going to stop. For students this could mean serious injury and/or death and students must always be aware of their bus stop and making sure they look both ways and make eye contact with the bus driver before crossing.

Robertson County Schools has experienced multiple instances of a student being hit by a passing motorist in the past few years, with each case resulting in minor injuries to the student, said Hinerman.

“There is no explanation for the utter feeling of horror when you hear a [school bus] driver come over the radio stating a student has been struck by a car,” he noted. “We respond calmly and quickly to the situation. While at the scene we do our best to be a comfort to the parents who have often times witnessed such a tragic event.

Awareness from school districts, news coverage of illegal passing incidents, and community outreach are all tools to bring attention to this safety concern. Paul noted that community education on Danger Zone safety is done through the New Jersey State Police and local law enforcement. He noted online resources such as schoolbusfacts.com, which he said districts should utilize.

Legus pointed to an episode of his district’s podcast series, “ShamrockED,” which is hosted by Berrien Springs Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Thomas Bruce. Bruce spoke with Legus as well as one of the districts’ school bus drivers about safety issues specific to student transportation. Educational outreach opportunities such as this are examples of how districts can highlight school bus safety concerns, giving a voice to student transportation professionals and broadcast it to the wider community.

Legus also said four signs that read, “All lanes must stop for school bus with flashing red lights” have been placed at strategic areas. Reported illegal passing incidents for his fleet of 26 buses reduced from 170 in the 2022-2023 school year to 146 in 2023-2024, with 30 currently reported for the 2024-2025 year. Two of the signs were posted in 2023 and the other two in 2024.

Even when illegal passing incidents don’t result in death or injury, it doesn’t mean it that they don’t have consequences. “The potential for fatal consequences is off the charts,” Paul said. Legus shared how illegal passing can have long-term psychological and
emotional effects. “Stop-arm violations are both emotional and traumatic to our transportation staff and students,” he said. “Drivers put a lot of care and compassion into their profession. Our drivers tend to view the kids as their own and protect them as such.”

Editor’s Note: As reprinted in the February 2025 issue of School Transportation News.

The post Combatting Illegal Passing with Awareness, Technology appeared first on School Transportation News.

Superintendent Snapshot: Recognizing Every Student

School Transportation News

By: Taylor Ekbatani

17 February 2025 at 19:01

Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat recognizes that every student’s schedule is different and should offer flexible options to ensure no student gets left behind. It often falls on transportation to provide access to those resources.

This adds up to 19 different bell schedules at Peoria Public Schools in Illinois that transportation must accommodate. Joshua Collins, director of transportation and fleet services for the district, likened a bell schedule to an individual student schedule, 19 throughout the day from morning to afternoon to evening. In addition to home-to-school, Collins said Peoria transports students to vocational schools, CTE programs, pre-k programs and half-day, pre-k, as well as various other programs for students with special needs, which could be full-day or half-day programs.

Peoria Public Schools: At a glance

School bus drivers: 106

Routes: 82

Student’s transported: 6,500

Route miles traveled yearly: 1.5 million

“We are busy, and then you throw field trips on top of that, and athletics on top of that,” Collins said. “The need is there. [The students are] important. It’s worth the sacrifice. It’s worth the effort to try to figure it out. Because especially the students we have, they need these programs. And at the end of the day, I keep that in mind, that this is not for my comfort, it’s for our kids.”

Kherat, who’s going on her 10th year as superintendent at Peoria, said she recognizes the work transportation does for the success of the students and how it aligns with Peoria’s five-year strategic plan, which concludes in 2026. However, she noted that the plan “is a reimagined education that ignites passion and empowers students to be responsible and successful.”

**Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat, superintendent at Peoria Public Schools in Illinois, is a 2025 finalist for the AASA National Superintendent of the Year award.**

“We wanted to really be bold and move away from the one-size-fits-all sort of programming,” she explained, adding that transportation plays a huge role. “Josh and I talk very regularly. What I like about him, no matter how challenging, it might be a difficult ask but he will do everything in his power to really make it happen and squeeze it in. And that’s part of our success, really. We will not continue to thrive on this traditional schedule.”

She noted the district also has options for students who have jobs or attend trauma-based programs, in total offering about 15 different alternative options.

“Thinking outside the box and providing lots of opportunities and options for students,” she said of district goals. “We have an international baccalaureate program for students from all over the city. We have a middle school gifted program that is one of the top schools in the state of Illinois. They pull kids from all over the city.”

Collins noted he has drivers start as early as 5 a.m. to transport students protected under the McKinney-Vento Homelessness Assistance Act, and some drivers who are working till 11 p.m. on field and athletic trips. All of this is accomplished fully staffed.

Collins said to combat a personnel shortage, Peoria invested in the school bus drivers and monitors, making their salaries competitive for the next three to four years. Over the past couple years, Peoria increased its driver pay by almost $10, with starting wages at around $26 an hour next year.

Ahead of the 2025 Superintendent of the Year being named on March 6 at the National Conference on Education in New Orleans, Louisiana, School Transportation News sat down with those in charge of transportation operations at the respective districts to gain a better understanding of how the services function. The Superintendent of the Year Award is sponsored by AASA: The School Superintendents Association along with Corebridge Financial and Sourcewell to celebrate contributions and leadership of public-school superintendents.

This year’s four finalists were selected from 49 state superintendent award winners (Hawaii was not included — STN reached out to AASA to confirm why) and were judged based on their exhibited leadership for learning, communication, professionalism and community involvement.

A $10,000 college scholarship will be presented in the name of the 2025 National Superintendent of the Year to a student at a high school the winning superintendent graduated from or from the school district the winner now leads.

Transportation also partnered with a local advertising agency. “It was just so difficult to try to do everything that you do and manage all of these different advertising opportunities,” he said.

Collins’ staff and the agency collaborated on a QR code that takes potential applicants to an online landing page for a pre-screening questionnaire.

The true challenge for Peoria has been a shortage of vehicles. Kherat said she is in the process of asking the school board for money to purchase new school buses, as prior to 2020 the most recent orders were in 2009 and then again in 2015 due to budget constraints. The district is now trying to get caught up on its replacement cycle, and over the past five years have replaced nearly 80 buses. This year, the school board received a request for $3 million to purchase 34 buses, but the final amount approved was about half that. In addition to the increased district programming discussed above, Kherat said the district needed the buses due to the increase in students, schools and routes.

“It’s a good place to be,” she said of district growth. “We just need folks who are willing to have that elastic mindset as well as the mindset around doing the work differently. … In order to continue to thrive and ensure that our kids are well positioned for success in society and in the workforce, we have to think outside the box for them.”

Creating Culture from the Top Down

Kherat said the culture at Peoria is focused on being collaborative and collective. She noted success hinges on listening to the needs of departments, getting feedback, and making adjustments.

One way to foster culture, she said, is through recognition to boost district morale. She noted that Collins mirrors and replicates in transportation what’s happening on national and district-wide levels. For example, Collins said he celebrates Black History Month this month and Women’s History Month in March.

“It’s one thing to recruit, but you have to retain, if you’re not keeping the people that you’re recruiting, then you just end up recruiting all the time,” he explained. “Then you can’t [fully] train them, so you’re always just doing level one training, because that’s all you can do because you’re constantly turning over new people.”

He explained that celebrating cultures is one way to focus on the employees and show appreciation. “I like to celebrate our diversity,” he added. “We have a lot of different people here, a lot of different folks that represent a lot of different mindsets and a lot of different ways that they approach transportation. So, we try to celebrate that, we try to celebrate who our folks are and what they represent.”

Kherat added that retention isn’t all about the money, but instead who people work for.

“People don’t quit their jobs,” she said. “I think they quit their people.”

Breaking Down Initiatives

Because retention is important, not just in transportation but district-wide, Kherat said she focuses on employee interviews to learn what’s working and what isn’t. She said getting this information helps her administration know what will keep teachers on staff. She noted that when she joined the district in 2015, teacher retention was at 78 percent, last year it increased to 88 percent. Kherat said she would like to see that number in the 90s.

She noted another way to keep staff is by allowing people to serve the district in non-teacher positions, without certifications, with the goal of eventually getting their license, paid for by the district. The only requirement is to sign a promissory note that they will remain at the district for three years. The same model can work with school bus drivers.

Another initiative Kherat mentioned was the district’s incorporation of electric school buses, with the goal of having a 20 percent EV fleet with its first purchase. Infrastructure updates at the transportation facility have already begun. The district received a grant from the EPA Clean School Bus Program of about $5.9 million for 15 electric school buses. Despite the Trump administration’s attempt to freeze program funding, sources indicated it will continue unfettered. But when remains a question, as many grantees from across the country have yet to see the funds flow. Meanwhile, the district is contributing $4.5 million for infrastructure and another four electric school buses with wheelchair capability.

“From a point of view of environmental impact, they are going to be better locally than some of the diesel vehicles, especially some of the older ones that we’ve been running,” Kherat said.

Additionally, she noted the district is installing solar panels on the roofs of high schools to offset utility costs and serve as a backup power generation.

She noted that in January the district rolled out a new bus app that allows parents to communicate with transportation and view routes and bus information more effectively. Additionally, transportation is migrating its routing software.

Building a Relationship

Collins noted that Dr. Kherat is relentless, which is exactly what the district needs.

“If you do a little bit of research about Peoria, Illinois, what you will find is we have a Zip code that is one of the most impoverished in the state,” he said, adding maybe even across the nation. “Poverty leads to a lot of social and economic issues, and we need somebody who is relentless, who will push, push, push, push because that’s what these children need. If we want to break this cycle of poverty … if we want to stop what’s going on in our community, we have to educate our children.”

He noted that even after accomplishing one task, she doesn’t stop there.

“It keeps you moving and keeps it going,” he explained. “I hate to say it this way, but nothing’s ever good enough, and it shouldn’t ever be good enough for the kids. And I appreciate that, and I that is a tremendous asset I think that the district has.”

Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat has lived in Peoria, Illinois, for over 40 years. She first arrived as a teenager from St Croix, Virgin Islands to attend Bradley University and ended up staying. She said she built her entire career out of the city, serving in various educational roles.

“I just love people,” she said. “I have a lot of educators in my family. I did not originally set off to get into education. I had a different major but somehow ended up in West Lake Hall, which is the building at Bradley University that provides a lot of support and guidance to education majors, and did my student teaching and student observation all in Peoria Public Schools.

“We talk about this work and life, it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and that’s what we’re experiencing every day,” she continued. “This work is all about making a difference and fighting for the children and understanding that everyone can thrive with the right supports and resources.”

She said when she was named the state superintendent of the year and a finalist for the national honor, she didn’t believe it was real.

“It’s humbling,” she said, adding that she’s not taking the recognition for granted. “I’m just the face. It’s the work of PPS, everybody in Peoria Public Schools, from the board down to the community as well.”

In terms of transportation, he said it’s critical to have a good relationship with the district administration .

“The administration has to trust you, you need to really have that relationship where you can go to administration and say, this is what you need, or this is a situation, or and trust that you know you’re not trying to hide something or you’re not trying to cover something up,” she said. “Trust to know that you’re going to handle situations.”

Collins said transportation provides more than trips. “Transportation deals with logistics,” he explained. “There are logistical problems throughout the district that a good transportation department can be a part of to help navigate and or solve. But you have to have that trust there.”

His advice to other transportation directors is to get involved at the district level. “If you’re not in the cabinet, get yourself in cabinet. If there’s a meeting coming up about curriculum, just be the fly on the wall. Learn everything that you can through all those meetings,” he noted.

Sooner or later, he said the director can start raising their hand and offering solutions, and how transportation can help.

“And then then you are viewed as more of a resource than just getting the kids to school, he added.

Kherat agreed, noting that without transportation, many children wouldn’t have access to education.

“It’s integral to a smooth operation of a school district,” she said. “We need to have a well-functioning transportation department that helps provide equal opportunity to all of our children, no matter where they live.”

She added that her departments are all on the same page.

“We have an indomitable spirit about us that we may be knocked down, but we get up and we keep plugging away,” said Kherat, who considers herself a servant-leader. “And that’s pretty much everybody on the team, just ensuring that every kid has a fighting chance for a good life, whether it’s through traditional or through unorthodox [education].”

The post Superintendent Snapshot: Recognizing Every Student appeared first on School Transportation News.

Superintendent Snapshot: Fully Staffed Arkansas District Focus’ on Employees

School Transportation News

By: Taylor Ekbatani

10 February 2025 at 21:01

Dr. Debbie Jones knows the importance of prioritizing her staff and surrounding community, whether through a parent school choice program or dedicated housing for district personnel.

Ahead of the 2025 Superintendent of the Year being named on March 6 at the National Conference on Education in New Orleans, Louisiana, School Transportation News sat down with those in charge of transportation operations at the respective districts to gain a better understanding of how the services function. The Superintendent of the Year Award is sponsored by AASA: The School Superintendents Association along with Corebridge Financial and Sourcewell to celebrate contributions and leadership of public-school superintendents.

This year’s four finalists were selected from 49 state superintendent award winners (Hawaii was not included — STN reached out to AASA to confirm why, but Hawaii superintedenets oversee complexes, which is different than the other states) and were judged based on their exhibited leadership for learning, communication, professionalism and community involvement.

A $10,000 college scholarship will be presented in the name of the 2025 National Superintendent of the Year to a student at a high school the winning superintendent graduated from or from the school district the winner now leads.

One highlight of Bentonville Public Schools in Arkansas, where Jones serves as superintendent, is that it is fully staffed in transportation. Don Hoover, executive director of student services, lauded Transportation Director Jason Salmons and his team for their advertising and recruiting efforts.

We’re recruiting friends and colleagues and people they may go to church with, or friends from the neighborhood,” Hoover said. “We’re lucky this community responds. We’re fully staffed right now. We even have some wonderful teachers who help us out, teachers who work their full-time teaching job then help us out in the morning or the afternoon, if their schedule allows.”

Jones added another way the district has combatted the school bus driver shortage is by encouraging coaches to obtain their CDLs, so they can drive to their sporting events.

“When I came here, I was accustomed to coaches driving their bus,” Jones recalled of her previous experience. “[Bentonville] didn’t do it at the time. In fact, we wouldn’t allow it, and we needed more bus drivers.”

Jones said she started to encourage coaches, especially because home-to-school transportation is the priority. “And if that means you can’t get to your football game or baseball game because you don’t have a driver, it’s on you,” she noted. “They understand that now everyone needs a CDL [driver] on their team.”

Breaking Down Initiatives

Jones said one of the district’s biggest initiatives for transportation is related to Arkansas being a parent-choice state. Parents can enroll their children in private school, homeschool, public school, and charter schools as well as open enrollment for public school. This, she said, encourages Bentonville to be more competitive.

“We’re offering parents all kinds of different opportunities within our own school district,” she said, adding that this year Bentonville created a parent choice model for its schools downtown. “We’re a growing district of about 20,000 students and we grow a lot every year. Most of our families can afford to live out on the border of our zones.”

She explained that downtown Bentonville is very expensive. Plus, last month Walmart Home Office opened in the city, which is bringing in more people. Because people can’t afford to live downtown, she noted that four or five elementary schools don’t fill to capacity, whereas the schools closer to the district boundaries are at capacity. To draw more people to downtown schools, the district created the policy that it will provide transportation.

That also presents challenges.

“It’s hard to get enough bus drivers,” she said. “Increasing routes makes it even more difficult.”

To address this, she noted that over the past three years, Bentonville has reduced door-to-door school bus service that the community was accustomed to. Instead, the district transitioned to consolidated bus stops. Jones said transportation is handling the new parent choice model “beautifully.”

Bentonville at a glance:

District enrollment: 19,600 students

Students transported: 12,967

Daily routes: 132

Number of drivers: 152

Coaches that have their CDL: 19

Number of school buses: 168

Total miles driven yearly (route, field trips, sporting events): 1,899,866

Another initiative is creating staff housing, due to the expensive city of Bentonville. She noted the district wants to continue to hire top-quality staff, and she wants them to be able to live in Bentonville and not elsewhere which leads to longer work commutes. As a result, she noted the district partnered with a nonprofit to design 40 teacher cottages with rent far below market that staff can live in for up to five years based on income. The monthly rent payments are then saved for the employees so that when they move out, they receive the lump sum back. This can be used as a downpayment on a home.

The staff housing will also feature a 3,000-square-foot childcare center. Jones added that she expects some transportation staff will live there.

One last initiative Jones discussed was the district’s career program. Professional career programs are popular across Arkansas, and since 2016 Bentonville has offered a nonprofessional studies program that students are transported to via the school bus.

“Our bus drivers are driving to all of these opportunities for high school kids, from their high schools to the professional studies building from the high schools the junior college — We have welding programs — so [transportation is] taking care of all of these one-off programs,” Jones explained. “We have behavior classrooms too. Some of those can be tough [trips] for drivers and for aides.”

She added that Hope Academy is a trauma-based school located outside of the district, so Bentonville doesn’t receive funds for students going there. “We provide transportation free of charge,” she said, adding that they’re losing money for this service. “But it is a service to the district because the kids are getting the help they need and they’re not being disruptive.”

Culture

Meanwhile, Hoover in student services noted that Salmons in transportation does a great job visiting and speaking with his employees. “The most important thing is a very safe and really a nurturing ride to school and from school,” he added. “The bus driver may be the first adult kids see, the first adult interaction they have in a day outside of mom and dad. And sometimes Mom and Dad are going to work [in the morning]. We obviously want our drivers to have a big smile on their face and set the tone for a good day for all the kids as they’re going to school. So, when they get to school, they’re ready to learn.”

That same welcoming culture continues once students get to school. “They have welcoming principals and teachers at the classroom doors,” Hoover continued. “It’s the next wave of people who are greeting a student every morning to make them feel special and want to be part of Bentonville schools.”

Bentonville is continuing to run a majority of diesel and some gasoline school buses. Hoover noted that Salmons is looking into propane to determine if it’s a viable option. Bentonville doesn’t contract out any aspect of its transportation service.

In terms of technology, transportation uses several different platforms, one of which is student accountability through a badge scan system. “When the students come on, they badge on, they badge off,” Hoover explained. “It’s just a really good safety measure to have with your students. Our principals back at the campus can see that on the software program and their computers and know where their kids are at all times. And the individual parent through an app can know where their bus is on the route and when to expect their student home.”

**Dr. Debbie Jones, superintendent for Bentonville Public Schools in Arkansas. Jones is a 2025 Superintendent of the Year finalist by AASA.**

Building Relationships with Administration, Transportation

Dr. Debbie Jones, the superintendent of Bentonville Public Schools in Arkansas and one of the four finalists for Superintendent of the Year Award, said her family has a long history in education. She shared that her dad was a teacher, coach and farmer and was on the school board at one point. She recalled being the little girl hanging out with the high school cheerleaders. She said she views being a superintendent as continuing the tradition.

Additionally, she shared her husband Dale Jones is a coach and teacher. “It’s just part of the fabric of who we are as a family. And I love it still today, because getting to be around students of different ages,” she said, adding that she taught high school but also enjoys sitting in the elementary classrooms. “It’s refreshing. It’s inspiring. When I talk with high school kids at the secondary level who are really getting started in their careers, it’s so good to see that excitement in their eyes, the curiosity and it keeps you young in this job.

“I can easily get bored in a job, and this is one of the first jobs that I’m never bored,” she continued, adding that the day to day is different every hour.

Jones – a mother of five children, the youngest of which is finishing college, and a grandmother to two – said she’s traveled and worked in Tennessee and Kentucky but moved back to Arkansas 30 years ago. She is going on her ninth year as superintendent for Bentonville. When asked what being a Superintendent of the Year finalist award means to her, Jones shared there’s a new sense of responsibility.

“I was so surprised,” she said. “We have really such high-quality superintendents that were nominated, and I’m honored. And there’s a sense of responsibility to speak up for what we need in education, to fight for those things.”

She said that meeting the other three finalists in Washington, D.C., was reinvigorating and showed her that Bentonville is on the right track. “We’re doing some progressive things that are very good. Keep going, push harder,” she said. “Whether you’re the finalist or not is immaterial to me at this point. It is really about enjoying the process, learning from the process and it’s bringing the best that you can bring to the district and to the state.”

Jones noted that transportation staff tend to be more transient in their employment, as many school bus drivers are older and retiring. As a result, the department is constantly hiring and training people.

“We have to be very aggressive in marketing and paying,” she said. “We also have to have good relationships.”

She explained that currently transportation has a really great culture and leadership team. “It’s really important for each one of our schools, our principals, assistant principals, our teachers, to appreciate bus drivers, which they do. They show them lots of love,” she said.

Jones provided an example. During each school board meeting, the district recognizes an employee who goes the extra mile, nominated by anyone in the community. For January, the Extra Mile recipient was school bus driver Sonia, who was nominated by a teacher. Sonia was nominated because she decorates her bus for each holiday. Jones noted that when the teacher’s first grade class got on the bus to go on a Christmas field trip, Sonia played Christmas music that instantly put the children in the holiday spirit.

“We do try to show our drivers love,” Jones added. “They’re super high-quality employees. We’re really proud of them, and they take great care of our students, and we can’t function without them. The world stops when you have to start canceling bus routes, and we try to do everything we can to make that not happen.”

Hoover noted that Jones has an open-door policy and listens to the needs of all departments. He added that if Salmons has a particularly urgent problem, he can report it directly to Jones.

Hoover added that he has bi-monthly meetings with each department he oversees, including transportation, to discuss any operational needs.

“Dr. Jones is always very quick to respond and help us form the solution that is needed,” Hoover said. In speaking on the driver shortage again, he noted that Jones was very supportive with their advertising efforts to hire more drivers, as well as the needs of physical resources like new buses.

“We have support financially, have support to hire at all times, and it’s crucial we have that opportunity for open communications,” Hoover said. “She’s a superintendent that definitely wants to listen to what the departments need when they have those needs.”

The post Superintendent Snapshot: Fully Staffed Arkansas District Focus’ on Employees appeared first on School Transportation News.

Amid Youth Vaping Epidemic, Prevention Efforts Begin to Target School Buses

School Transportation News

By: S.Z. Estavillo

7 February 2025 at 15:00

Vaping among minors has emerged as a significant public health crisis, prompting school districts, student transporters, parents and public officials to take aggressive action.

This crisis, fueled by the marketing strategies of companies like e-cigarette companies like Juul Labs, has led to a wave of litigation, settlements and innovative prevention strategies. The rise in vaping has spurred interest in new technologies, such as vape detectors, with potential applications even on school buses.

Juul Labs settled a lawsuit led by San Franscisco Unified School District in December 2022, marking a pivotal moment in the battle against youth vaping. The reported $1.2 billion settlement resolved over 1,500 lawsuits filed by school districts, cities and counties nationwide. The legal fight emphasized the role Juul and its parent company Altria played in creating and perpetuating the youth vaping crisis.

Mike Dorn, executive director of Safe Havens International, testified during the trial about the severe consequences of vaping on school grounds and during transport, providing compelling evidence that contributed to the settlement. “The scope of this crisis is unprecedented,” Dorn told School Transportation News, referencing not only the rise in nicotine addiction among minors but also the emergence of vape devices used for substances like THC oil, crystal meth and fentanyl.

Dorn highlighted alarming incidents that underscore the dangers of vaping in unsupervised environments. For example, ambulances in Palm Beach County, Florida, were dispatched to treat 11 students who overdosed after sharing a vape device on a school bus. A similar case occurred in Glynn County, Georgia, where 12 students overdosed in an athletic transport van. Dorn said these cases demonstrate the rapidly evolving nature of the crisis and the urgent need for preventative measures.

“These devices were never just about nicotine,” explained Dorn, a member of STN’s editorial advisory board. “With aftermarket pods and illicit substances, we’ve seen students exposed to risks far beyond addiction, including overdoses and physical harm from malfunctioning devices.”

Vape Detectors: A New Frontier in Prevention

To address the crisis, school districts are exploring new technologies to curb vaping. Vape detectors are promising tools for creating vape-free environments. While these devices have been installed in school bathrooms and other indoor areas, their potential use on school buses represents a new frontier in prevention efforts.

Randall Jubb, president of school bus contractor Jubb’s Bus Services, said he sees on-board vape detection as a crucial step in curbing the issue before it escalates further.

“We are planning to implement a demonstration of selected units in our fleet, with detectors positioned under the seats, as vape is denser than air and tends to settle lower,” Jubb explained. “A puck-sized indicator will be installed in the driver’s area to provide an immediate alert. Additionally, an app will be installed on school administration devices to notify them of any alerts, including the specific bus number and the time the alert was triggered.”

Jubb emphasized that this system—when combined with video surveillance and school bus driver observation—will provide the best chance at accurately identifying offenders.

“We recognize the severe impact vaping can have on the health and well-being of our students, and we believe that any deterrent is crucial in safeguarding their future,” he added.

Guy Grace, a representative of Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) and a retired director of safety and emergency planning for Littleton Public Schools in Colorado, emphasized that vape sensors alone are insufficient to address the youth vaping epidemic. Based on insights from safety practitioners across the country, Grace outlined a multi-layered approach that integrates vape sensors with human roles, processes and additional technologies to maximize effectiveness

First, he said properly designed awareness programs are critical. Students and parents need to understand the addictive nature of e-cigarettes and the policies in place to address violations. Education campaigns that involve students and parents can significantly reduce vaping incidents.

The stealthy nature of vaping also necessitates vigilant student supervision, he continued. While vape sensors can alert staff to incidents, live supervision in restrooms, stairwells, and other hotspots is essential. Free training videos on supervision techniques are available through Safe Havens International to help staff improve their ability to detect and deter vaping.

Grace noted additional personnel, such as vape prevention coordinators and monitors for hot-spot areas, are often needed to support detection technologies and ensure consistent enforcement. These roles work alongside technology to address vaping more effectively.

Vape sensors can detect e-cigarette aerosols in areas where direct supervision is challenging, such as restrooms and locker rooms. He said these devices can also integrate with smart cameras and analytics software, enforce no-go zones and monitor high-traffic areas.

Robust electronic hall-pass systems help administrators track students’ movements and identify patterns of misuse, Grace offered. These systems can also prevent students with a history of vaping together from obtaining hall passes simultaneously.

School buses represent a critical and often overlooked area in the fight against youth vaping. Grace discussed the potential for integrating vape detectors, which can range in cost from hundreds of dollars to about $1,000 dollars, with modern bus surveillance systems, including 360-degree cameras and real-time monitoring capabilities. These tools can help capture activity both inside and outside the school bus while ensuring driver focus remains on the road.

“While no districts have officially implemented vape sensors on buses yet, the technology exists to make this feasible. Early adopters could set an important precedent for broader adoption,” Grace said, referencing ongoing pilot programs and partnerships with companies like Zeptive.

“Like IP cameras, vape sensors require relatively low power and can be connected via Ethernet to a bus’s power switch. While APIs for integrating vape sensors with bus cameras are still under development, standalone sensors can already enhance monitoring efforts,” he continued.

Grace noted that vape detection companies are exploring pilot programs to evaluate these systems in real-world conditions.

He also detailed how students attempt to evade detection, exhaling mist into bottles or vaping under desks. He emphasized the importance of proper device placement, sensor sensitivity adjustments and ongoing staff training to counteract these methods effectively.

Progress and Challenges Ahead

The battle against youth vaping is far from over, but progress is being made. School districts like San Francisco Unified are leading the way with comprehensive prevention programs and forward-thinking solutions. By addressing the root causes of vaping and equipping students with the tools to make healthier choices, communities can take meaningful steps toward ending this crisis.

“This is about protecting our kids,” said Jenny Lam, president of the San Francisco Board of Education. “We’re committed to using every tool at our disposal to ensure they have a healthy, smoke-free future.”

Grace echoed this sentiment, noting that while challenges remain, the collective efforts of educators, parents, and policymakers offer a path forward.

“The stakes couldn’t be higher, but with determination and innovation, we can turn the tide,” he said.

Integrating these systems with existing school bus technology could provide a seamless solution for tracking incidents.

“The one thing I might add is that the system interfaces with the bus monitoring systems, reporting and time-stamping any alerts to make tracking easier,” Jubb noted.

While detection technology plays a vital role, the broader issue extends beyond school buses and into classrooms. Mike Anderson, CEO and founder of school vaping sensor manufacturer Space Coast Technology Solutions, highlighted how vaping has become a significant disruption to education itself.

“In our research, vaping is listed as the number one challenge facing educators,” Anderson said. “Students are distracted in class, and school resources are consumed with policing instead of educating.”

The same could be said for school bus drivers, who need to be concentrating on road traffic but increasingly have student misbehavior to contend with.

The post Amid Youth Vaping Epidemic, Prevention Efforts Begin to Target School Buses appeared first on School Transportation News.

School Districts Use Data, Routing For Medicaid Reimbursements

School Transportation News

By: Mark Rowh

30 January 2025 at 18:58

There’s no getting around the fact that transporting students is an expensive enterprise. Add to that the extra measures needed for serving students with disabilities, and costs grow substantially higher than for other routine operations.

For school some districts, at least a portion of that extra expense is being offset with funds from the federal government. Through provisions in the legislation authorizing Medicaid funding, school systems may file for reimbursement for transportation to and from specified eligible services that students with disabilities need during the school day. These services can include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology or therapy services, psychological counseling, and nursing services.

Of course, that’s based on acceptable submission of the required reports, which in turn rests on providing accurate ridership figures. Currently, reporting practices vary among school districts across the country, from relying on paper-based approaches to capitalizing on advanced features offered by routing software and related student ridership verification.

Teena Mitchell, special needs transportation coordinator for Greenville County Schools in Greenville, South Carolina, noted that considering the extra costs involved in serving special needs riders, seeking reimbursement is well worth the effort.

“I think it’s safe to say the cost of transporting students with disabilities is substantially higher than transporting those without them and plays a major role in the overall cost of educating our students with disabilities,” said Mitchell, who is also president of the National Association for Pupil Transportation.

Even if reimbursements go back into a school district’s general fund rather than the transportation department’s budget, she added, the dollars benefit the entire district and can be tracked back to the benefit of the transportation department in supporting areas such as personnel, training and equipment needs.

Of the 78,000 students Greenville County serves daily, nearly 16 percent are students with disabilities. The vat vast majority of those students, 88 percent according to Mitchell, receive the same transportation as non-disabled students and ride general education buses. The remaining 12 percent receive specialized transportation and are served on 111 specialized school buses.

Payment is based on a standard amount per trip. For the 2023-2024 school year, the amount was $13.35 per trip although the rate as of Oct. 1 has increased to $29.06. At the standard of $13.35 per trip, a typical school district of Greenville’s size could have expected to receive about $221,000 this school year, Mitchell calculated.

To file for reimbursement, school bus drivers are given a form that lists qualified students listed for the route in question and the dates transported. When two weeks of information has been recorded, a clerk who manages the program enters the information into the Medicaid system for payment.

The school district has routing software but as of this report wasn’t using for tracking Medicaid reimbursements. However, transportation staff were evaluating options for moving in that direction.

This step has already been taken at Colorado’s Weld County School District 6, said Chad Hawley, director of transportation. Routing software is now being used to track ridership in the district’s 60 routes, including 26 designated for serving students who require specialized transportation.

Software features include custom reporting functionality to capture and document data such as days qualifying students rode, where and what time they were picked up and dropped off, and which personnel were involved. A student information specialist incorporates the relevant details in a report that is shared with the Medicaid specialist in the district’s finance department.

Along with improved accuracy, the workload involved in reporting has been reduced.

“We used to have someone collect daily student counts from all of our specialized routes, input the data into a spreadsheet, and then send all the spreadsheets to the finance department,” Hawley noted. “The previous way was time consuming and not always accurate.”

Plans for a similar approach are in the works at El Dorado Union High School District in Placerville, California, where drivers log attendance and submit monthly reports for transportation provided to an average of 130 students who meet Medicaid requirements.

“When drivers turn in reports, they go first to our dispatchers, who enter the data into a shared spreadsheet,” said Sarah Lemke, director of transportation. “This spreadsheet is then accessible to both the finance team and the student success team, which also tracks our McKinney-Vento [Homeless Assistance Act] students.”

This collective info feeds into a report for both state and federal reimbursements.

Transportation staff currently use routing software to support route planning. “While it doesn’t track attendance directly, this capability is expected once we fully implement the software,” Lemke said, adding the goal is to have it fully operational to support Medicaid tracking this school year. “We’re working to streamline this process into one centralized system. The shared Google sheet we currently use has been very effective for transparency across departments, so we’re optimistic that routing will further enhance that.”

Services provided by an outside firm are central to Medicaid reporting at Hutto Independent School District, where the number of special needs riders has been growing. Currently, the school district located northeast of Austin, Texas transports 242 special needs students out of 4,568 total riders, an increase of 14 percent from last year. This necessitates running 15 routes for students with individualized education programs and 35 general routes with some specialty shuttles and McKinney-Vento routes as well, noted David Uecker, director of transportation.

“A contractor does the filing for us,” Uecker says. “We submit rider counts to the company with our [special education] department handling the reporting.”

Hutto leaders plan to enhance reporting with the implementation of new software. Slated for full adoption in the spring, that move will support tracking of riders with disabilities.

Some school districts have elected not to pursue Medicaid reimbursements, at least for now. That’s the case at Deer Creek School District in Edmond, Oklahoma. The district currently utilizes eight routes to transport 100 students with IEPs each school day but meets those demands without additional federal funding.

“The time it takes to go through the reimbursement process makes it difficult to pursue and maintain districtwide,” said Robert Feinberg, transportation director, echoing a common sentiment of peers nationwide.

At the same time, that decision is subject to review. “There is always a possibility of us beginning to use the program,” Feinberg noted. “Our district will continue to evaluate the process versus the manpower it would take to submit the claims.” He said one scenario that might prompt Deer Creek to begin seeking Medicaid funding would be if the school district experienced a large influx of students who meet reimbursement requirements.

Making It Work
Dealing with the federal government is never simple, and the Medicaid reimbursement process is no exception.

Given the complexity involved, good organization is a must. “Prioritize organization from the beginning,” Lemke said. “And establish a reliable system for collecting needed information in advance.”

The same goes for maintaining the necessary knowledge base. “Special needs transportation is definitely a challenge for many districts,” Feinberg said. “Knowing the local, state and federal laws pertaining to their transportation is vital.”

Targeted training can be a key to effective practice in this area, Mitchell pointed out.
“Training your drivers and attendants to be accurate and consistent can be a challenge, especially if you’re in a larger district,” said Mitchell.

Greenville addresses this need during new-hire training, with all incoming transportation employees receiving at least four days of training in transporting students with disabilities. That includes the Medicaid tracking and reporting process in addition to driver training instruction.

“During this training, we impress on the employees the importance of accuracy and remind them that their signature is their assurance that the form is accurate,” Mitchell added.

“Occasionally there may be updates to the process, and when this happens as it did recently, we schedule an in-service training and also give hand-outs with specific instructions.”

Even with the best training, mistakes can occur. To ensure accuracy, Mitchell said she has found it beneficial to have a staff member oversee the process and review the information generated.

Katrina Morris, who directs transportation at both West Shore Educational School District and Mason County Eastern School District in Michigan, advises those in transportation who have not yet pursued this type of funding to consider going for it.

A lot of districts do not realize that there is money for Medicaid reimbursement for students with special needs who require services,” said Morris, who is also the executive director for the Michigan Association for Pupil Transportation. “Please work with your special ed departments to see if this is an option to help receive the funding you are entitled to.”

Mitchell offered similar advice. “If your program is set up and maintained properly, it can run rather smoothly and bring much-needed funding back into the district to offset our diminishing budgets,” she concluded. “These funds can aid you in providing safe transportation with qualified staff.”

Editor’s Note: As reprinted in the January 2025 issue of School Transportation News.

The post School Districts Use Data, Routing For Medicaid Reimbursements appeared first on School Transportation News.