Episodes
-
Ryan, Tony and Taylor recap the discussions, training, and technology hosted at STN EXPO Indianapolis last week. Attendees saw new clean buses on the market, toured Cummins facilities, were hypnotized by keynote speaker Wayne Lee, participated in student safety discussions, and more.
Read more about STN EXPO.
-
Kristi Hartzel, driver trainer and lead dispatcher for Campbell County Schools in Kentucky and a 2023 Rising SuperStar, joins us at STN EXPO Indy to discuss driver coaching and technology implementation with regard to student safety.
STN Senior Editor Taylor Ekbatani also interviews Zach McKinney, director of transportation for Indiana’s Hamilton Southeastern Schools and the president of the School Transportation Association of Indiana, on statewide clean bus implementation and the driver shortage.
Read more about operations.
-
Missing episodes?
-
Tony, Ryan and Taylor report on the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in Las Vegas this past week, the clean school bus manufacturers and suppliers who showed up, the industry conversations on evolving clean transportation, and what districts are seeing in their green bus operations.
Read more about green buses.
-
Ryan and Tony dive into the State of Sustainability report released ahead of the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo being held this week.
Transportation Supervisor Kenni Jean Schrader from Three Rivers Community Schools in rural Michigan, a 2022 Green Fleet Award winner, discusses end-of-school-year operations, driver retention challenges, electric school bus implementation, and the STN EXPO Indy Green Bus Summit panel she will be on.
Read more about green buses.
-
Learn more about the captivating speakers planned for STN EXPO Indy, the closure of a New York stop arm camera law loophole, the “great debate” over school bus lap/shoulder seatbelts in Ohio, and positive business updates from industry suppliers.
Transportation Supervisor Andrew Krokowski pulls back the curtain on operations, driver retention, technology, electrification and more at the small but mighty South Lewis Central School District in rural New York, a 2023 Top Transportation Teams award winner.
Transfinder President and CEO Antonio Civitella shares how employee feedback through the Top Transportation Teams process can enlighten and strengthen work teams.
Read more about teamwork.
-
Get the latest on federal developments that affect school transportation, including a legal battle over E-Rate funding for school bus Wi-Fi, the new National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Final Rule on automatic emergency braking in buses, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s push to relax marijuana classification.
Nina Haiman and Vinny Riscica from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) take a deep dive into clean school bus funding, helpful aides for electric bus implementation, and more.
Read more about electric buses.
-
Ryan and Tony discuss the new $1B Clean Heavy Duty Vehicles Grant Program, use cases of renewable diesel vs. battery electric, and a video of student abuse by a Colorado bus aid.
Speaker, author and cancer survivor Christine Cashen discusses the role of humor in dealing with hardships and de-escalating work or personal situations. See her STN EXPO Reno keynote in July, “How To Stay Inspired When You’re So Darn Tired!”
Read more about operations.
-
Safety technology and training are forefront after a fatal Texas rollover crash and a bus striking a bicyclist. Join us at STN EXPO this summer to learn and discuss more.
“Goats are like kindergarteners!” Valerie Higley, school bus driver for First Student at East Lyme Public Schools in Connecticut, wrote a children’s book on school bus safety featuring her goat, Shaman, and shares insights on caring for students through bus driving.
Read more about safety.
-
How will the increasingly popular four-day school week affect student transportation operations? Also, learn more about opportunities to recognize your innovative, hardworking peers in the school bus industry.
Bret Brooks, senior consultant at Gray Ram Tactical and frequent STN EXPO presenter, looks at lessons learned (or not learned) on the 25th anniversary of the Columbine school shooting and gives tips to keep both students and drivers safe. Hear his talk on incident command at STN EXPO Reno in July.
Hear about the teamwork at Klein (Texas) ISD from Director of Transportation John Ferguson, a winner of last year’s Top Transportation Teams award from Transfinder, and find out how to apply this year.
Read more about safety.
-
Mobile electric school bus charging solutions, and more details on the EPA GHG (greenhouse gas emissions) regulations.
Get a detailed look into the state of clean student transportation, perspectives from school bus manufacturers, legislature to watch, and more with Nate Springer, vice president of market development at TRC Companies, the producer of the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) EXPO in Las Vegas this May.
Read more about green bus.
-
Ryan and Tony analyze the impact of new stringent EPA greenhouse gas emissions regulations on the school bus industry, as well as aspects of a fatal Texas rollover crash involving a school bus not equipped with seatbelts being hit by a concrete truck whose driver had taken cocaine.
“There’s no I in ‘team’ but there’s an I in ‘win,’ and when you want to win you’ve got to have the right individuals.’” AASA finalist for Superintendent of the Year Dr. Frederick Williams and Transportation Director John Strickland from Dublin City Schools in Georgia have an easy rapport from decades of friendship. They discuss overcoming adversity, servant leadership, caring for staff, and more.
Read more at stnonline.com/tag/leadership. -
This week’s headlines include updated EPA regulations for light- and medium-duty vehicles.
Will McDermott, head of student services for First Student, shares how the FirstServes program aims to bridge the gap between the ride to school and the classroom experience.
“There were some wet, heavy flakes coming down, kind of that picturesque city snowfall… three hours later, you couldn’t see out our windows.” AASA Superintendent of the Year award winner Dr. Joe Gothard and Transportation Director Ben Harri from Saint Paul Public Schools in Minnesota take us behind the scenes of the mechanics and partnerships required for student busing, including post-pandemic and inclement weather adjustments.
Read more about leadership.
-
The NTSB is investigating a tragic crash that killed a school bus driver and 3 preschool passengers. Meanwhile, the District of Columbia is in legal hot water over the busing of students with disabilities.
Superintendent Dr. Kimberly Rizzo Saunders, another AASA finalist for Superintendent of the Year, and Business Administrator Brian Cisneros share how they work with a transportation contractor, use propane buses, and retain drivers to overcome challenges related to weather, rural locations, and more at Contoocook Valley School District in New Hampshire.
Read more at stnonline.com/tag/leadership.
-
Ryan & Tony analyze New York’s aggressive electrification push, as well as an uptick in school bus driver DUIs and arrests.
“Districts take the flavor of their superintendent.” Superintendent Dr. Martha “Dr. Z” Salazar-Zamora, COO Dr. Steven Gutierrez, and Director of Transportation Sandy Dillman from rapidly growing Tomball Independent School District in Texas, join us for a conversation on the leadership and collaboration that allowed Dr. Z to be named as one of four finalists for AASA’s Superintendent of the Year award.
Read more at stnonline.com/tag/leadership.
-
Concerning business updates and new federal resources in the ever-shifting world of school bus electrification.
Hypnosis, mind expansion, and trance-formation! Speaker and entertainer Wayne Lee previews his keynote session at STN EXPO Indy on elevating performance in both one’s personal life and workplace.
Paul Hasenmeier, fire chief for Hernando County in Florida, talks about his new book “School Bus Extrication,” his STN EXPO Reno emergency response session, responding to electric school bus fires, collaboration between school transportation and first responders, and lap/shoulder seatbelt recommendations.
Read more at stnonline.com/tag/stn-expo.
-
Conversations on the role bus drivers can play in student safety reopen after a missing Texas student rider was found murdered and several students were struck and killed by their buses.
From working on a dairy farm to becoming transportation and logistics administrator for Cache County and Logan City School Districts in Utah, Wayne Reese looks at safety techniques, technology and training to prevent student deaths at bus stops. (Download the CCSD safety pamphlet.)
Jim Ellis, director of pupil transportation for Henrico County Public Schools in Virginia, discusses aspects of his years in leadership, including the management and support of school bus drivers, the role played by DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion), and the use of technology and safety equipment.
Read more at stnonline.com/tag/leadership.
-
Transportation lighting and safety company Clarience Technologies acquired safety technology company Safe Fleet and a Super Bowl ad slammed Tesla’s full-self driving mode used around school buses.
Tony and Taylor share highlights from the School Superintendents Association’s National Conference on Education, where top level student transportation conversations took place and Dr. Joe Gothard of Saint Paul Public Schools in Minnesota was named this year’s Superintendent of the Year.
Read more at stnonline.com/tag/superintendent.
-
We analyze the latest, including Blue Bird’s earnings report, green energy opportunities, a student killed in the Danger Zone, and a change in CDL regulations.
Clark County School District in Las Vegas has more unique features than just being down the street from Super Bowl LVIII. Executive Director of Transportation Jennifer Vobis, also the winner of the 2022 STN Transportation Director of the Year Award, joins us to discuss driver support efforts to increase pay and reduce vacancies, using biofuel for the fleet and incorporating electric buses.
Read more at stnonline.com/tag/operations.
-
Tony, Ryan and Taylor discuss the Collins Bus acquisition by Forest River. The safety conversation intensifies around recommendations but no seatbelt mandate from the Ohio school bus safety group following a fatal crash last August.
Read the STN February issue all about safety at stnonline.com/go/feb24. Keep updated on industry headlines & analysis at stnonline.com/safety.
-
Tony gives updates from the National School Transportation Association midwinter meeting and Ryan shares what a new Department of Justice report on the Uvalde shooting can teach the industry about emergency response.
Shelly Hall, senior vice president of health and safety for national pupil transportation contractor Student Transportation of America, discusses the implementation and benefits of STA’s new concept of special needs care through the Ukeru System, a trauma-informed, restraint-free approach to student behavior management.
Read more at stnonline.com/safety.
- Show more