The cited an incident in March of 2024 when a school bus carrying 10 students near Milestone, West Virginia, rolled over, seriously injuring three students while the remaining 16 sustained minor injuries.

It was later determined that the driver had a blood alcohol concentration reading of 0.161 grams per deciliter, nearly twice the legal limit.

Impaired driving among bus riders is a growing concern. Between 2015 and 2019, at least 118 bus drivers were caught operating a school bus under the influence of alcohol, drugs or a combination of both, according to a Stateline study.

The National Transportation Safety Board said alcohol detection systems are already being used in parts of Europe.

“As a result, the NTSB recommended that the National Highway Traffic Safety 91心頭istration require all new school buses to be equipped with vehicle-integrated alcohol detection systems,” the board said in a press release.

It also recommends passenger lap/shoulder belts for increased protection. Its investigations of the Milestone crash and a similar incident in Dale, Texas, concluded that unbelted children are at risk of colliding with other students and being ejected from the bus.

“In both the Millstone, West Virginia, and the Dale, Texas, crashes, the unbelted students were thrown about the interior of the bus, resulting in the increased risk of injuries and ejections,” the board said.

Find more solutions in the full “Field Guide for People Leadership,” which is available with .油Then, navigate to the People section of the Content Hub, which is listed in the menu on the left side of 91心頭+.

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Districts are turning to technology and flexible models to ensure every student gets to school, especially those who experience homelessness, live in foster care or require specialized accommodations, according to EverDriven’s latest��.

Some of the key findings from the report include:

• 95% of districts expect transportation budgets to increase in the next five years by an average of 26%. Two-thirds of districts have already secured funding.
• 49% have begun implementing modern solutions; 47% plan to within five years.
• 68% say technology will play a significant or critical role in their strategy. Districts are prioritizing a variety of technology solutions aimed at addressing student safety.
• 88% report equity gaps in transportation across student groups.

Modernizing transportation

To address these challenges, school districts are resorting to numerous technology-enabled strategies that are safer, more efficient and built around students’ needs.

According to the report, districts are implementing:

• Real-time GPS tracking systems (52%), AI-assisted routing software (48%) and driver monitoring systems (47%) to improve monitoring and reduce inefficiencies.
• Onboard camera systems (39%) and collision avoidance technology (37%) to enhance student safety.
• Parent and student communication apps (44%) and emergency communication tools (37%) to improve family engagement and responsiveness.
• Alternative student transportation models, adopted by 37% of districts, are being used to serve students outside of standard bus routes.

Driving factors

Equity continues to be a top concern for superintendents and their technology directors, with 88% of districts reporting access gaps, particularly in non-regulated states.

Additionally, rising operational pressures are accelerating the need for modernization. Top pain points include:

• High maintenance costs (25%)
• Inefficient routes and schedules (24%)
• Challenges meeting regulatory compliance requirements (23%)

On-the-ground challenges include:

• Ensuring student safety (20%)
• Coordinating schedules across diverse student groups (20%)
• Adapting to shifting populations (19%)
• Improving communication with families (19%)

Read the full report .

More from 91心頭: The top 5 challenges educators experience in 2025

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Date & Time: Tuesday, November 19 at 2 p.m. ET

Despite facing an $11.7 million deficit, Steelton-Highspire School District (SHSD) became the first in Pennsylvania to fully transition to an all-electric school bus fleet. This transformation, powered by six new electric vehicles funded through round one of the EPA���s Clean School Bus Program, was achieved with a strategic investment from the district.

In this Ed Talk, Superintendent Dr. Mick Iskric will discuss his district’s journey to embrace electric buses to reduce long-term costs. He will be joined by Kevin King, Senior EV Principal Consultant at First Student, who will explain how a flexible, rapid-deployment charging infrastructure helped Steelton-Highspire make electrification feasible and cost-effective, providing a blueprint for other districts facing similar challenges.

Join us as we explore the journey to electrification, highlighting both the financial and operational benefits of going electric. Now, districts on the fence of moving away from fuel-powered buses now have a real-world example of a school system that has actually gone fully electric.

Key Takeaways:

• How an underfunded district like Steelton-Highspire made the leap to an all-electric bus fleet
• The critical role of First Charge rapid-deployment charging infrastructure in making electric bus deployment both cost-effective and efficient
• Insights on how above-ground charging infrastructure can save time and reduce installation costs
• The financial and operational rewards of electrification for school districts facing budget challenges
• Practical advice from Dr. Mick Iskric and Kevin King on overcoming barriers to electrification

Speakers

Mick Iskric, Superintendent, Steelton-Highspire School District

Kevin King, Senior EV Principal Consultant, First Student

Sponsored by

The post Full Fleet Electrification: How Steelton-Highspire���s Success Paves the Way for K-12 Districts appeared first on District 91心頭istration.

Date & Time: Monday, October 21 at 2 p.m. ET

When transportation teams think about safety, the first thing that often comes to mind is the safety features on their buses. But there���s so much more that contributes to the safety of the students in your district���s care.

Join us for a fresh perspective on how to ensure the safety of your students while they���re in transit, from the time your route planning begins to the end of the school day and back.

You���ll learn proactive approaches to infusing safety into your operations and immediate steps you can take to ensure your team is prepared to react quickly and effectively when the unexpected happens.

Key takeaways include:

• From creating routes to getting on the road, 3���4 approaches to ensuring drivers are prepared and in control
• Practical procedures to implement pre-, post-, and during transit for safer student transportation and vehicle maintenance
• 91心頭istrative best practices that reduce liability for your district

Speakers

Duane Peterson, Transportation Director at Jackson County School System (Ga.), President at the Georgia Association for Pupil Transportation (GAPT)

Daniel Spears, Director of Transportation, Madison County Schools (Ala.)

Buttons Cheely, Customer Success Specialist, TransAct

Sponsored by

The post The Safety Cycle: Ensuring the Safety of Students from A to B and Back Again appeared first on District 91心頭istration.

The impacts of chronic absenteeism go far beyond academic performance���negatively impacting students��� opportunities to build friendships and become active in their communities, as well as missing out on resources and other educational system safety nets such as free meals and healthcare.

While potential solutions to the absenteeism crisis are varying and complex, perhaps the most basic is reimaging and optimizing the way we get kids to and from school. Plenty of research confirms the inextricable link between absenteeism rates and access to safe, reliable school transportation. In 2023, found that nearly three-quarters saw a correlation between access to transportation and school attendance.

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Researchers at Wayne State University reported that Detroit parents cited transportation as ���by far the most frequent and pervasive barrier to attendance.��� Another study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that ���children who took the school bus to kindergarten had fewer absent days over the school year and were less likely to be chronically absent compared with children who commuted to school in any other way.���

But if solving our chronic absentee challenges is as simple as increasing school bus service, why hasn���t that happened? As The Washington Post reported last year, chronic driver shortages, general budget constraints, increases in personal car ownership and usage and districts needing to reallocate school transportation expenditures to electrify fleets amid regulatory pressures are all making it difficult for schools to meet needs with school buses alone.

Despite these challenges, there are still several ways that districts can expand access to safe, reliable transportation and chip away at the chronic absenteeism crisis.

The first is to optimize existing routes using new technologies like AI. Despite facing many of the same challenges as other districts, including bus driver shortages and budget cuts, was able to reroute their existing bus service using AI, cutting their total bus routes in half, doubling their bus utilization rate, increasing pay for their drivers, saving 40% in future capital cost projections and cutting their emissions by nearly a third.

The second is to focus on providing safe, reliable transportation options for students with the highest rates of absenteeism: those who are experiencing homelessness or in foster homes, live in poorer or rural communities far from their school or suffer from disabilities. Many of these student groups are entitled to transportation, but existing options can leave them waiting days, or weeks, for a ride. Focusing on transportation that can be set up quickly is imperative to ensure these students are attending school without interruption.

Particularly for students from low-income families, limited transportation options and distance from school can make getting to school more challenging, exacerbating existing social inequalities. Students from higher-income families are much more likely to be driven to school by a parent or guardian ��� or have families that own a vehicle in the first place. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 70% of children from low-income families rely on the school bus as their primary school transportation, while 50% of children living above the poverty line take a private vehicle. And while 99% of families living above the poverty line own at least one vehicle, 20% of low-income families own none.

In 2023, students experiencing homelessness reportedly faced the highest rates of chronic absenteeism. The uncertainty around where they may stay night-to-night presents a challenge around school bus routing and consistent transportation to school. Both our school system and the life circumstances our students deal with daily are growing more complex. To best support the most at-risk students, we must focus on designing transportation systems that are flexible and nimble enough to accommodate their needs.

The third is to seek out alternative solutions to fill the gaps left by buses. School districts across the country have had significant success deploying unique transportation solutions, particularly for students most at risk of absenteeism.

In Fresno, California, Fort Miller Middle School petitioned the school board to provide a van to supplement traditional forms of transportation and ensure that students get to school safely, which led to an average daily attendance increase of nearly 2 percentage points. In Riverside, California, the school district increased attendance rate for students living in foster care from 29% to 78.6% by using supplemental transportation solutions.

Many cities have opted to give students fare cards covering the cost of using public transportation to get to and from school, which has proven to be an effective alternative for older students living with easy access to those systems.

Other districts have petitioned their cities to make walking to school safer for kids who live nearby through installing new crosswalks, stop signs, bike lanes and speed bumps, for instance.

No transportation method is one-size-fits-all. But by offering their students a variety of ways to get to school, school districts can take great strides in closing the gap and minimizing chronic absenteeism.

The post Reimagining transportation: 3 ways to conquer chronic absenteeism appeared first on District 91心頭istration.

Now, the families have announced further lawsuits against Instagram’s parent company, Meta, citing claims that it allowed advertising by the manufacturer of the assault rifle used in the Uvalde school shooting. Activision Blizzard, the company that owns the “Call of Duty” franchise, was also included in this lawsuit from the families. According to the lawsuit, the Uvalde, Parkland and Sandy Hook shooters played the popular video game leading up to their assaults.

Daniel Defense, the manufacturer of the AR-15 used in the Uvalde school shooting, is also being sued. “There is a direct line between the conduct of these companies and the Uvalde shooting,” Josh Koskoff, a partner at law firm Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder, said in a statement.

Safety, of course, remains a top priority for most district leaders. Hop on over to this podcast episode where we chat with safety expert and President of the National School Safety and Security Services Ken Trump about what administrators can do to mitigate risks.

School buses get a makeover

Also this week, the Biden-Harris 91心頭istration of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2023 Clean School Bus Program competition, which awards 530 school districts nearly $900 million to replace older, diesel fuel school buses that pose health risks. Schools will be using the rebates to purchase more than 3,400 clean school buses, most of which will be electric. That’s a pretty sweet deal.

Weekly insight

I know it’s summer for most of you, so I gathered some timely research that could be useful as you prep for the 2024-25 school year.

Many of you likely operate leveraging one-teacher, one-classroom models. There’s no shame in that, considering how difficult it is to hire and retain sufficient staff post-pandemic. That being said, it may be in your best interest to dive into team teaching.

This from the Center for Reinventing Public Education showcases early outcomes from the Next Education Workforce (NEW) team-based models in Mesa, Arizona. Here’s what they found:

• Higher retention rates: Teachers���especially new educators���in these models are more likely to remain at their schools.
• Longer career plans: Educators plan to stay in the profession for at least five years.
• Increased satisfaction: They’re more likely to recommend teaching to a friend.
• Improved evaluations: Ratings are higher compared to those in non-team-based classrooms.

More from 91心頭: School layoffs are mounting quickly as ESSER winds down

To that end, 54% of teachers say they’re considering leaving the profession over the next two years, according to a released this spring from K12 Insight. By now, I’m sure you’re tired of hearing that, so what should you do?

The researchers suggest creating a work environment where educators��敬温稼岳油to work and thrive. However, according to K12 Insight’s poll, only 52% of school employees say their district recognizes them for high-quality work and accomplishments. The extensive report offers various strategies and solutions to this issue.

New from 91心頭

Hot off the press, we’ve just announced our “Top 100 Influencers in Education,” which you can find in the latest magazine issue. You’re likely to recognize several national pioneers in education, including some fellow superintendents who are doing incredible work for their students.

We’ve also released another episode of the “Talking Out of School Podcast” where we sit down with filmmaker Tiffany Shlain about her new documentary “The Teen Brain.” The film dives into neuroscience to help parents and teachers better understand the upsides of an intense period of growth and development for students.

And just when you thought you could get through a piece without any mention of artificial intelligence, think again. I recently spoke with Santa Ana Unified School District Superintendent Jerry Almendarez about how he and his communications team use AI to create video messages to the community in multiple languages.

In this video, you can see Almendarez communicating in perfect Spanish, a language he’s not fluent in. Thanks, AI!

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A from the National Education Association outlines some of the driving factors behind the bus staffing shortages that continue to plague school districts across the country. The teachers union highlights recent research from the , which revealed that hourly wages only grew by 4.9% between 2019 to 2022, a welcome change but still lagging behind the median worker wage growth, which was 5.7%.

However, the average bus driver only earned about $20 an hour in 2022, 16.8% less than the median wage for all workers.

Headaches for districts persist

As a result of this staffing crisis, some districts are forced to cut bus routes to compensate. Tennessee’s Cheatham County Schools, for instance, canceled bus routes last week. It’s an issue that isn’t new for the district, either, .

The district was also forced to cancel routes during the fall semester, too, as a result of staffing shortages.

“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience,” the district said in a . “Families will need to arrange other means of transportation to get their children to and from school both in the morning and afternoon on Friday, February 9, Monday, February 12 and Tuesday, February 13.”

Similarly, North Carolina’s Durham Public Schools on Monday “due to absences within our transportation,” according to a news release from the district.

More from 91心頭: Student-school counselor ratios are improving. Is it enough?

Kentucky’s Jefferson County Public Schools is potentially reducing bus routes to ease issues caused by staffing shortages, which would result in some 16,000 students losing bus services next year, . The revised bus routes would transport only students to their “resides schools,” one of 15 schools that are organized in three geographical networks that serve primary residential addresses, according to the .

The district is currently weighing three options for next year’s bus transportation:

1. Requiring buses to provide transportation only to residents.
2. Implement magnet hubs where parents can drop off their children to take a bus directly to school.
3. Make no changes.

It’s a tough decision, but JCPS Chief Operations Officer Rob Fulk said during a board meeting that their goal is to put the district in a position that prevents bus routes from exceeding their available drivers. Choosing option one, however, would put roughly 16,000 students out of bus transportation services until they switch residence schools.

In the meantime, the district is partnering with TARC, the Transit Authority of River City, to allow students an alternative means of transportation if they end up being removed from their previous bus.

“Our plan right now is to provide any middle school or high school students who would like a TARC pass that they would be able to use that TARC pass at any time, along with ensuring that every one of our middle and high schools has a stop within the proximity of the school,” JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio said during the board meeting.

The post Bus staffing and routing problems leave districts scrambling for solutions appeared first on District 91心頭istration.

This is especially true when coordinating transportation for the nation���s most vulnerable students, those with disabilities, who may require extra physical or emotional support to ensure safe transportation. Monitors play a key role with these students, and in recent years, there has been a sharp increase in demand for monitors, especially in alternative student transportation.

Alternative student transportation, which involves transporting students in small-capacity vehicles, offers school districts a safe and cost-effective way to provide crucial transportation services to students, including those with unique needs. That includes students with disabilities, students experiencing housing insecurity, students in foster care, and students who attend a school that is out of their district or in a hard-to-reach location.

Benefits of transportation monitors

Having a transportation monitor in the vehicle can be a major benefit to both the driver and the student. Their role goes beyond simply being an extra pair of eyes���they can be instrumental in creating a controlled, safe, and peaceful environment, which is especially important when it comes to setting the student up for a successful day at school.

More from 91心頭: Another wave of new superintendents is taking the helm

Monitors provide:

• Safety and Security: Monitors can help ensure the safety and security of students and drivers during transit.
• Behavior Management: Their presence alone can deter disruptive behavior, and they can intervene when necessary to address any issues. This can lead to a more controlled and peaceful environment, reducing the risk of interfering with the driver and thus accidents.
• Parental Peace of Mind: Parents often feel more at ease knowing that there is adult supervision on the school vehicle.
• Special Needs Support: For students with disabilities, having a monitor on board can help with securing mobility devices and ensuring the comfort and safety of vulnerable students.
• Compliance: Monitors can help ensure that the transportation service complies with safety regulations and district policies.
• Improved Driver Focus: With a monitor onboard, drivers can concentrate on the road and their primary responsibility of safely operating the vehicle.

Demand continues to grow

As already mentioned, the demand for monitors in alternative transportation has increased rapidly in recent years. EverDriven, the nation���s largest provider of alternative student transportation, has seen a nearly 106% increase in trips requiring monitors since School Year 21/22, which is over double the 46% increase we have experienced for trips overall. This increased demand reflects school districts��� commitment to keeping students safe, and keeping risk to the district low when transporting medically fragile children or students with unique needs.

One of the most significant reasons behind the need for more monitors is the increase in students requiring transportation services with individualized support. Federal regulations, including the , Every Student Succeeds Act and McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, require that public schools provide services to students to meet their unique educational needs.

Yet with many schools facing funding challenges, school transportation services tend to dwindle, with monitor jobs frequently being eliminated or going unfilled. The problem can be especially severe in larger school districts that have more students with disabilities. This could pose not just a safety risk to schools but a legal one as well. Financial challenges also mean that it can be a struggle for schools to ensure these roles are fully funded.

What does this mean for the future of school transportation?

Monitors play a vital role in ensuring the safe transportation of students. The growing demand for monitors, in alternative transportation, reflects school districts��� commitment to provide safe and reliable transportation options for all students.

School districts should continue to work creatively to accommodate the growing need for monitors. Given the ongoing staffing shortages, ensuring availability of monitors internally and with their vendors will be critical. School district administrators, in conjunction with families, teachers and community stakeholders, should also continue to advocate for transportation solutions with more monitors to ensure a safe ride to school for the students who need them.

Our students deserve reliable and safe transportation���and monitors are a key part of making that happen.

The post Safe trips: Why more schools are hiring transportation monitors appeared first on District 91心頭istration.

, bus companies and other entities will use their share of the EPA���s first Clean School Bus Program Grants to purchase 2,700 low- and zero-emission buses. About 280 school districts serving over 7 million students across 37 states will benefit from the initiative, which is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law, the EPA announced this week.

“We���re once again accelerating the transition to electric and low-emission school buses in America, helping to secure a healthier future where all our children can breathe cleaner air,��� EPA 91心頭istrator Michael S. Regan said in a statement. ���I���ve sat next to students on their very first clean school bus ride and their excitement reflects the power of good policy.”

More from 91心頭: How rebranding has this superintendent living in the moment���for now

Among the biggest award winners are Boston Public Schools, Chicago Public Schools, the Dekalb County School District, Los Angeles USD and Miami-Dade County Public Schools, which each received about $20 million to upgrade their bus fleets.

Asthma and other conditions exacerbated by diesel bus emissions cause students to miss school, a problem that disproportionately affects communities of color and Tribal communities, the EPA says. The agency initially made $400 million in grants available but doubled the amount because of districts’ heavy demand for electric and low-emission vehicles.

In 2022, the EPA awarded schools over $875 million in Clean School Bus Program rebates, which allowed 372 school districts to replace 2,366 vehicles. The agency is accepting applications for the until Jan. 31.

The post See which districts will share $1 billion in new clean school bus funding appeared first on District 91心頭istration.

School transportation is a massive undertaking in the United States, and the system has worked well for many years. Since the pandemic, various forces have created a pervasive problem where almost all school districts face challenges with retaining experienced drivers and attracting new talent. This article will explore strategies and considerations to attract bus drivers given the current labor market with an eye toward the future and a new employment model for bus drivers.

The challenge of retaining employees in just about any career area is real and has forced changes in most organizations. These same post-pandemic workforce challenges���along with some unique factors���influence school transportation. Historically, bus drivers work irregular hours, often on a split shift, and have an enormous responsibility that, increasingly, is not aligned with the compensation available in most school districts.

The abundant availability of other higher-paying driver jobs further erodes the number of school bus drivers. Reimagining the employment model for bus drivers will be critical for school districts to start reducing the number of driver vacancies. As districts enter into collective bargaining processes, there is probably no better time to consider these issues.

New employment model for a new era

As school employees increasingly choose careers outside of education and other potential employees choose careers in different fields, school districts must recognize the importance of competitive wages and benefits packages to retain employees at all career stages. School bus drivers carry the most precious cargo in every community and should be compensated at a level consistent with that responsibility.

While offering pay increases and benefits can make the work more appealing and better match the level of responsibility, this is only a starting point. School districts must look to the future and recognize that there is not much of a future if we fail to attract a new generation of drivers. The reality is that nationally, the average school bus driver is 57 years old, with only 5% of all bus drivers under 40 (Zippia, 2022). There are few occupations with an average worker age nearing 60. The ability to meet the needs of future drivers will be a crucial consideration when negotiating employment contracts.

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Considering that older workers value most of the same things in a workplace as younger workers, it is unnecessary to look at negotiations as a generational dichotomy. Instead, a holistic evaluation of workplace conditions can lead to the best proposals at the bargaining table while recognizing some minor differences.

What generational differences exist in the workplace that can considered in the negotiating process? Generation Z and Millennials value a workplace that allows for an excellent work-life balance, opportunities for growth, mental health support, and alignment with their values (Peterson, 2023) (O’Boyle, 2021).

Older workers value the same things but also seek to share what they know. Older workers also tend to be the most dedicated employees in any organization (Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 2015) but they often have concerns about age-related medical conditions. The good news for most school districts is that real progress can be made in these critical areas that can attract the next generation of drivers with various employment options while retaining those valuable, experienced school bus drivers.

Contractual considerations:

• While evaluating how competitive salaries are against other school districts is essential, considering compensation in private or non-student transportation businesses is important.
• Evaluate the impact of offering retention bonuses to counter driver loss resulting from sign-on bonuses offered elsewhere.
• Create career ladders where excellent veteran drivers train and coach less experienced drivers as part of their responsibilities.
• Explore flexible scheduling options to accommodate drivers’ needs, allowing them to balance work with their personal lives more effectively.
• Seek ways to fill out schedules with other work to address split schedule problems.
• Seek out strategies to enhance benefits, such as options for family coverage or enhanced dental or eyeglass coverage

Non-contractual retention strategies:

• Investing in ongoing training and support programs can enhance drivers’ skills and confidence, reducing turnover rates. It also reinforces the district’s commitment to safety.
• Recognizing and appreciating bus drivers for their hard work through awards, ceremonies, and tokens of gratitude can boost morale and job satisfaction.
• Marketing bus driving positions, using various channels such as social media, local job boards, and community events to reach potential candidates.
• If possible, streamline the process of obtaining a CDL by providing training and resources to help candidates meet the requirements.
• Engage with the community to foster a sense of civic duty and pride in becoming a school bus driver, emphasizing their essential role in education.

The shortage of school bus drivers is a challenge that school districts must address proactively. Districts must prioritize strategies to retain experienced drivers while attracting new talent.

A well-compensated, supported, and recognized bus-driving workforce will benefit the education system and provide a fulfilling career option for those passionate about student safety and community service. As the wheels of education keep turning, remember that bus drivers are the unsung heroes who keep the journey smooth and secure for future generations.

The post What K12 leaders can do to recruit the new generation of bus drivers appeared first on District 91心頭istration.