FRISCO, Texas – TSD Conference attendees joined a panel of four experienced female transportation managers to discuss various aspects of the use of route technology that can benefit students, parents and transportation staff.
Sunday’s panel was made up of Transfinder customers and was moderated by Arnold Byrd, the company’s sales enablement specialist.
Lisa Sawyer is the transportation coordinator for the Tracy Unified School District in central California, which has more than 90 school buses and 100 staff members. When she started, the department had about 30 buses and routing was done through an Excel spreadsheet. While her current Transfinder and Zonar solutions aren’t the cheapest, she says they offer the best value and practicality.
“The hardest part for me is getting school districts to realize they have a transportation department,” she said, drawing cheers from the room. Prioritizing student safety and working with the special education department can help ensure that students with special needs receive the transportation services they need and are required by law.
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LoWanda Bowman-Brown, who spent 11 years as transportation director for Decatur City Schools in Georgia, said paper route sheets proved inadequate, and a technology company they recruited Companies have been working to modify the technology to fit the needs of smaller areas.
She recommends that each school district choose the software that best fits its unique needs and keep its IT team involved throughout the process.
“We need technology, but we also need talent.”
LoWanda Bowman-Brown, Transportation Director, Decatur City Schools, Georgia
Annette “Kecia” Ling is the transportation director for the Chatham County Public School System in Savannah, Georgia, where she manages 460 school buses serving more than 20,000 students. She said she was looking for a solution that would satisfy both her staff and parents, and praised Transfinder for reducing routing times.
She noted that ditching paper route sheets that could get wet or damaged along the way would make things easier for drivers as well as traffic authorities. Technology can also help drivers complete tiered routes or quickly take over alternative routes in a pinch, she noted. Drivers and attendants have ready access to information about students with special needs, which the district calls “extraordinary students.”
Sandy Dillman, transportation director for the Tomball Independent School District in Texas, leads a team of 200 drivers and attendants who transport 13,000 students every day. She regrets that when she started, the internet didn’t really exist and the written paper route created chaos. She reflected on the districts of all sizes she has worked with over her decades in the industry and emphasized that preemptive parent communication is critical to easing the burden of daily transportation.
With school bus technology, “everything is at your fingertips and ready to go where you need to go,” she said.
Crowdsourcing suggestions
A Kansas school bus driver trainer in the audience noted that integration is important so parents can register students as bus passengers and transportation can easily add them to the route.
In response to an attendee’s question about sharing information to drivers and assistants, Ling said such information is controlled on the Transfinder side, so drivers only see what they need to know on the tablet.
Sawyer added that notes can be added about student triggers or behaviors that drivers and aides should be aware of. Byrd and Transfinder pointed out that symbols can be used instead of labels as such a representation.
Sometimes technology is needed to achieve district administrative goals, and that was the case with Bowman-Brown in Decatur. Ling recommends developing a technology implementation process that works for everyone who needs to be exposed to the technology.
“Teamwork is the secret that allows co-leaders to meet unrealistic expectations and achieve unusual goals in unusual circumstances.”
– Annette “Kecia” Ling, Director of Transportation, Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, Georgia
Dillman praised transportation staff and parents for having peace of mind knowing where every student is at any given time. Instead of receiving panicked “we lost a child” calls, staff can be notified of students who were not scanned on the school bus and easily find that student’s daily scan details.
Attendee Steven Fernandez, transportation director for Modesto City Schools in California with 40 years of student transportation experience, reflected on his journey from handwritten paper route sheets to Excel spreadsheets and finally to Transfinder The evolution of electronic records and routing. He shared that previously new students were inconsistently added to any route that was convenient for the driver, but now they are added to the most appropriate and efficient route.
Another attendee shared that with just two routers, she was able to leverage technology to handle all of her routing needs, easily assign students to buses, or easily find a missing student. “Having this technology is priceless,” she said.
“This is a game changer,” Bowman-Brown agreed.
Panelists noted that electronic record keeping, data sorting and report creation can help speed up the state reporting process, reduce human error and provide peace of mind. Ling added that they were also a big help to emergency responders.
Ling also shared how she uses smart routes to add outstanding students to the general education route and equip them with attendants when necessary to better assist their development and social goals and achieve better operational efficiency.
She said Transfinder “provides very valuable data at the click of a button.”
When implementing new technology, Bowman-Brown recommends providing school bus drivers and aides with training and adjustment time. Allow employees to provide feedback and make decisions, Ling adds. Dillman recommends participating in professional development and seeking advice from other districts. Sawyer noted that patience will eventually pay off, making everyone more efficient.
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One attendee suggested adding new technology in phases to avoid overwhelming drivers. Others say tech-savvy staff can help those who are less tech-savvy and maintain morale and avoid dissatisfaction with new procedures.
Attendee Lisa Connors, transportation director for Peabody Public Schools in Massachusetts and a student transportation officer with nearly 30 years of experience, shared her excitement about routing technology that Technology saves her hours, late nights, and stress. “Right now, we’re just using my brain,” she said.
Bird noted that to operate successfully, you must leverage technology and employee knowledge. “Technology can’t replace Lisa,” he said.
“We need technology, but we also need talent,” Bowman-Brown concluded.
Byrd noted that technology can be a means for a region to achieve a lasting legacy of positive change. Panelists concluded by expressing their wishes for future technology, which focused primarily on the safety of students with special needs.