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TransporterTransporterMinnesota Associationfor Pupil Transportatio

Fall 2015

N THIS ISSUE

Page 2

015 TTT Recap

Page 3

llegal Passing Survey

Pages 4-5

DVS Certification Forms

Page 6

015 Sped Awards

Page 8Around our Area

Page 9

Efficiency and Safety

Page 10

A Silver Anniversary forhe Record Books

Page 13

Complacency

Page 13

chool Bus Safety Expo

Page 14

Legislative Statement

Page 15

MAPT Membership

Checking in from the State CapitolBy Brad Lundell

MAPT Lobbyist

The school year isunderway and Imsure all of youstarted the year backin the groove. Itsalways a challenging

time getting routes finalized and ridership issuessettled, but things are usually humming rightout of the gate. My job as your lobbyist has afew similarities in that Im trying to route billsthrough the legislative process and a snowday of sorts derailed a few efforts that wouldhave been helpful for school transportationofficials.

First and foremost in the eyes of MAPT

would have been SF 1413, a bill that would haveclarified that a person not authorized to boarda school bus would be guilty of criminaltrespass. Its been disconcerting to hear fromtransportation professionals throughout thestate describe how this is becoming a bigger

problem every year and that bus drivers needto have clear power to prohibit people from

boarding a school bus. Student safety isparamount and with all the crazy going onout there these days, it is really important forbus drivers to have the tools they need to makecertain students are kept safe. This isnt aboutlimiting parents rights. There are proceduresfor parents to meet and ask permission toboard a school bus and going outside of thoseprocedures puts undue pressure on bus drivers

and could conceivably put riders at risk.

This bill passed the Senate easily ounanimous vote of 58-0. Unfortunately, the

did not come up for a final vote on the Hofloor at the end of session as negotiationslarger budget bills took most of the time.bill now heads back to the House Public Saand Crime Prevention Committee, wherpassed easily during the 2015 session. I

guessing that there should be no probgetting the bill back to the House floorhopefully it will come up for a vote relatiearly in the 2016 session.

There were other bills that likewise staincluded incentives for converting bus fleetpropane or natural gas and modifications inprocess used for individuals to receive a schbus endorsement. As in the case SF 1413, th

items seemed to run into a roadblock in onthe legislative bodies and it is expected thawill return to the discussion in 2016.

MAPT continues to look for platform itto pursue in 2016. Governor Dayton will licontinue to push for his universal

kindergarten program and its importanttransportation professionals to weigh in on h

expanding ridershipespecially forkindergarten studentswill presentchallenges. Districts may need to add routepurchase new buses. Some communitieswant 4-year-olds transported on Type A buAs this proposal is discussed, its extremimportant for transportation professionalbe at the table, both at the local and statewlevel.

continued on pag


2/15

Your MAPT Presidents Perspective

First, let me start off by telling you how pleased and proud I am to

have this opportunity to serve as your president of MAPT. After joining

MAPT over 13 years ago, I have developed a sincere appreciation for themembers and committee leaders of this organization. They take a

statewide organization and make it feel like a small community with pride;

and thats what makes MAPT special.

MAPT celebrated its 25th anniversary this summer with the highest

attended Train The Trainer (TTT) seminar in its history. It gave me great

pleasure to see, and meet, all the past presidents who joined us for the

celebration. There was a huge sense of pride from everyone who

attended. I was overwhelmed with the support and encouragement I

received from everyone. We were flooded with volunteers who worked tomake the entire week the best pupil transportation seminar in the upper

Midwest.

I want to give special thanks to Denise Baran and the Pine County

Sheriff s Office for the amazing support and organization in putting

together the mock crash. Without their support, we would not have been

able to put on such an amazing learning opportunity for our industry.

Grand Casino Hinckley Convention Center staff were also on point

with electricians, buildings and grounds, custodians, maintenance, AV

and sound, hospitality and administration. They said yes to all of ourrequests and made the event an overwhelming success.

In addition to Pine County Sheriff and Grand Casino Hinckley, I have

many other community members to thank: firefighters, police, ambulance,

Life Link III, chaplin, students and parents. It was an amazing show of

support for the work that we do.

I am looking forward to meeting many of you through the year, and I

hope your school year is off to a strong start. I am excited about my role

in leading our organization as we collectively strive to become a model of

innovation and educational excellence that other states will want toemulate.

I thank you for this opportunity to serve.

Sincerely,

Derrick Agate Sr.

MAPT President

Derrick Agate

MAPT President

errick was born in Kingston,

maica WI, and came to the Unitedates at the age of 10, graduated fromgh school in 1980, and went tollege in Iowa where he met his wife.

e has been the Manager of ansportation for ISD 270, Hopkins

blic Schools, since 2010. Prior to that,was the Director of Transportation

r ISD 272, Eden Prairie Schools, from02.

errick has been active with MAPT ands been on the Board since 2003, and iso involved in his community as a

ember of several civic organizations.

[email protected]

2-988-4118


3/15

In September, the national association representing state

directors of pupil transportation released the results of its

fifth annual survey on illegal passing of school buses.

In 26 states throughout the country, 20 percent of the

nations school bus drivers participated in a one-day survey

to report how many times motorists passed their stopped

school buses illegally. Over 102,000 school bus drivers

reported that 78,518 vehicles passed their buses illegally on

a single day. Throughout a 180-day school year, these

sample results point to more than 14 million violations by a

portion of Americas motoring public.

We know that students are far safer in school buses, but

when they are outside the bus, they are more vulnerable to

injury or death, said Leon Langley, president of theNational Association of State Directors of Pupil

Transportation Services. There are nearly a half million

school buses on the road each day in the United States.

This survey captured only a fraction of the violations

that bus drivers and traffic officers know all too well are

occurring each and every day, added Langley. Any driver

who passes a stopped school bus illegally is endangering

children and possibly even his or her own future. Trying to

save a few seconds by passing a school bus and hitting a

child can be devastating not only for the victims and theirfamilies, but also for the motorist who will have to live with

the sad consequences.

NASDPTS first coordinated the annual survey in 201

and the results have been unfortunately consistent. In

2011, 76,685 illegal passes were documented during the

one-day survey. In 2012, 88,025 illegal passes were

reported. There were 85,279 in 2013 and 75,966 in 2014

The surveys have helped bring attention to the issue, an

some states have adopted more stringent safety

countermeasures, such as improved motorist education,

increased fines, and more law enforcement, including

increasing use of photo and video evidence from camer

mounted on the sides of school buses. Reducing illegal

passing and ensuring children the safest possible trip to

from school requires a comprehensive approach, involvi

education of students, motorists, and school bus driversfrequent, visible enforcement, and advances in school bu

equipment and other technologies.

The National Association of State Directors of Pup

Transportation Services encourages state directors, local

school districts, law enforcement agencies, legislators, an

Americas motoring public to continue their efforts to so

this ongoing threat to the safety of students.

Complete information on the project, including the

detailed 2015 survey results, can be found atwww.nasdpts.org/stoparm

Illegal Passing Survey Results Shared

It may also be a time to talk about ways to make iteasier for school districts to purchase new buses for their

fleets. The elimination of the bus purchase levy nearlytwenty years ago has surely increased the age of schoolbus fleets throughout the state. Overall funding fortransportation should also be studied. More and moredistricts have growing cross-subsidies from their generalfunds to pay for transportation services. Legislativechanges made the same year as the elimination of the buspurchase levy have put a number of districts at a fundingdisadvantage that needs to be investigated and corrected.

2016 will also be a year in which tax cuts will be

discussed. It may be time to look at the excise tax on fuel

that districts and contractors have to pay on fuel purchasesfor their bus fleets.

If you have ideas, please forward them to LegislativeChair Ron Meyer at [email protected] or me [email protected].

Brad Lundell is the Executive Director of Schools for Equity

in Education, providing executive leadership for a 62-member

consortium of school districts. His main duties include policy

development and legislative communications in effort to ensure

adequate and equitable K-12 funding in Minnesota. For the pas

24 years, he has also served as a contract lobbyist with a variety of

organizations.

Lundell continued from Page 1


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A handy reference tool the DVS uses when accepting self-certification forms


5/15

The 2nd page is a guide for drivers to determine the appropriate category to selec


6/15

By Amy Tiedens

Chair of the MAPT SPED Awards

In April, I had the pleasure (and pressure) of

handing out the MAPT awards to Special Educationschool bus drivers and transportation assistants.

The award is sponsored by the Minnesota Special

Education Transportation Committee, in cooperationwith Minnesota Association of Pupil Transportation.

All of the winners demonstrated a commitmentand dedication to their school districts mission todeliver superior services and patience to every studentthey work with on their school bus. Each awardwinner also displayed their true compassion andprofessionalism toward the students, staff and parentsthey work with as well as the school districts they serve.

Nominations were made by their supervisors andsuperintendents; and members of the MAPT SpecialEducation Transportation Committee judged thesubmitted applications for the drivers and assistants.

We would like to encourage ALL school districtsand bus companies to nominate deserving specialeducation drivers and assistants for the 2016 awards.

Congratulations to each 2015 award winner!

Presenting the 2015 MAPT Special Education

Bus Driver and Bus Assistant Award Recipients

lefttoright:ShawnMcNeilan

,OsseoTransportationSuper

visor;OsseoAssistants:

DianeErickson,RichardPyr

d,PeggyKrostag;andTroyS

chreifels,Assistant

TransportationDirectorforO

sseo.

lefttoright:TimSchubert;Ji

mThomas,TrobecsBusof

St

Cloud;andBethanySchuber

t.

Special Education Bus Drivers:

1st place Jim Thomas

Trobecs Bus, St. Cloud2nd place Evelyn Brainard

White Bear Lake Schools3rd place Norman Raymond

District 287 Shuttle Driver,contracted by Bloomington Schools

Special Education Bus Assistants:

1st place Diane Erickson

Osseo Schools2nd place Virginia Johnson

Anderson Bus, Shakopee3rd place Peggy Krostag

Osseo Schools

We proudly present ourwinners for 2015!


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8/15

Taking a Look Around Our Area...

Due to the nature of the both the Safety Committee

and Special Transportation Committee, there was a strongfeeling that both meetings could, and would, benefitattendees from both groups.

With that in mind, the meeting structure for 2015-2016will be different than in the past. All meetings will runfrom 10 am to noon and are open to drivers, trainers,supervisors, dispatchers, and bus paras.

October 21st, 2015

Department of Public Safety

1110 Centre Pointe Curve Suite 410

Mendota Heights

November 18, 2015

Holdingford Schools900 5th Street - Holdingford

December 16, 2015

Randolph Public Schools

January 20th, 2016

Brooklyn Center High School6500 Humboldt Avenue North - Brooklyn CenterParking is available in the East lot by the tennis courtsEnter the building at door E23 As we did last year,breakfast will be provided prior to the safety meetingfor those attending.

February 17th, 2016

Osseo Schools11200 93rd Ave N - Maple Grove

Board Room

March 16th, 2016

Cleveland Public Schools400 6th Street - Cleveland

AprilNo meetings

May 18th, 2016

MDE1500 Hwy 36 W - Roseville

Sped Meetings:

New locations. New times. New structure.

By Nick Klaseus

Region 2 Director

It seems school just ended and here we are back for another yeaWe had five weeks this summer that we didnt have to transpo

students. A seemingly small window to ensure our buses and Type IIwould be ready for the next school year.

All of our drivers took part in the driver training that was offere

Much of the material covered was received from attending TTIt was another excellent week of presentations, discussions, hands-learning and networking.

Here in outstate Cleveland, MN we are also faced with a drivshortage. A few years back, our drivers consisted of farmers, semretired and retired men and women. Today we have fewer farmers, aWal-Mart, Burger King, trucking firms and every business in betweis looking for help. Its hard to find anyone to help with transportatio

What will happen when there is no room on a bus for mostudents, the routes get too long, there are no substitutes and weexhausted all options? I dont have the answer to these questions. I

know most everyone involved with student transportation also hthese questions - and more - on their minds.

Checking In from Region 2Important Regional

Meeting Update

Many of our members have expressedthey will not attend the Fall 2015 Regionalmeetings this year due in part to some

much needed time off over MEA.This years regional meetings will be

held as a part of the joint Safety and SpecialTransportation meeting on October 21st,

2015 at the Department of Public Safety,1110 Centre Pointe Curve Suite 410 inMendota Heights.

For questions, please contact yourRegional Director:

Amy Tiedens - 763-550-7132

Nicole Carlen - 320-286-4100

Kurt Osweller - 218-463-1942

Nick Klaseus - 507-931-5456


9/15

School Bus Safety

By Keith Paulson

Transportation Director

Anoka-Hennepin Schools

Having an efficient transportation system helps ensure asmany students as possible are safely transported to and fromschool on school buses. When school districts look to cutcosts, many have made the decision to have a Fee forService for students they are not required to transport by law.Many of these students, who now have to pay a fee, do notuse bus service. It is my belief that being efficient withresources provides more students the opportunity to be on

the safest form of land transportation there is: a school bus.Note that when making each decision regarding a bus stoplocation or seating capacity - safety alwaystrumps efficiency.

Regular School Bus Route Efficiency

There are a number of items that can make school busrouting efficient or inefficient. These elements provide theframework that will help routing staff, parents, and school

administrators to plan, review, and respond to safety andefficiency issues. These major areas are:

1. School Attendance Boundaries - determine whichElementary, Middle, or High School students will attend.

The purpose of these areasis so that no two buses servicing thesame grade level, but from different schools, travel the sameroadways.Take away - Tight, contiguous boundaries closer tothe schools students attend means better efficiency.

2. School Bell Times - School start and dismissal times -Having the Transportation Department recommend belltimes allows for efficient use of buses so that they can servemore than one set of schools usually 2-4 schools in amorning and 2-4 schools again in the afternoon.Take away - Bell times allow buses to serve one school and

recover in time for another school and another (three-tiersystem). This provides the best use of buses and funding sothat more District dollars are focused on the classroom.

3. The Distance Students Walk to the Bus Stop - A shorterdistance from home to the bus stop may provide conveniencefor the individual parent/student. However, closer bus stopsmean more bus stops per route, which will significantlyincrease the time each school bus needs to pick up its students.Further, maximum ride-times may be exceeded and each bus

will not be able to serve as many schools.Take away - Thelonger home to stop walk distances allow buses to travel

through one neighborhood into another neighborhorder to fully utilize the capacity of the bus.

4. The Maximum Ride-Time for Students - A shotime for students reduces the buss ability to fully utseating capacity. If the geography is such that a busbe filled to capacity in the allotted time, full utilizatibuss seating capacity will not be achieved and the transport each student will increase.Take away - Aride-time allows buses to serve more neighborhooutilize the full capacity of the bus, thus lowering the

transportation for each student.

5. Maximum Number of Students per Bus

information is for route coordinators to use as a tarfor parents and the public to know what is allowed. Eis 39 wide and can hold up to three students, meaallotment of 13 inches per student. The issue seating capacities change for the age group the bus

Three per seat may be fine for elementary studenmiddle and high school students need additional sporder to make sure that each student is properly protethe compartmentalization the seat provides, it is imthat each grade level capacity is well-considered.

One district uses the following for a 77 passenge

Elementary School maximum load 69Middle School maximum load 64

High School maximum load 54

The work to arrive at the actual number of riderscheduled number of riders can be achieved by knowpercentage of students actually riding your school buinstance, we know that only 40% of scheduled highstudents actually ride the bus from one of our high

Based on this information we schedule an overloastudents) knowing that the actual ridership will stay bemaximum target load of 54. This same method is uelementary and middle school routes.

Note - while we are very confident of our percentanumbers, we also hire a few extra buses for the first fewof school to help with any overloads or schissues. Over the last few years, we have not had to adto deal with overloads. Take away - Scheduling

passengers up to the maximum capacity allowed, wgoing over, allows for more efficient use of seating c

What does routing efficiency have to do with i


10/15

A Silver Anniversary for the Record BooksBy Ray Kroll

TTT Coordinator Emeritus

The 25th Anniversary of the Minnesota School Bus

Driver Trainer Seminars is now history. If anyone were to

ask a quarter of a century ago where the TTT

Jumping Bus would be in 2015, I doubt that any of theplayers could have imagined the impact of this profoundly

professional training package.

In 1990, State Department of Education

Transportation Director Len Nachman advanced his

vision of a comprehensive training program for school

bus driver trainers. With no dedicated state resources,

pupil transportation professionals from across the state

collaborated to develop training programs that facilitated

hands on training using the Minnesota School Bus Driver

Training Development Series. Gratitude for thedevelopment of the Train The Trainer Seminars goes to

many of our past leaders: Jim DeVeau, "School Bus Bob"

Larsen, Carl Neuman, Bill Stanley, Tom Rasset, Dr. Rod

Dobey, and Jeff Mueller.

After 12 years at the St. Cloud Holiday Inn, MAPT Past

President Dean Krause was instrumental in urging me to

move the TTT Seminars to the Hinckley Conference

Center. Before leaving St. Cloud, MAPT Treasurer Greg

Liedl came on board to bring the TTT registration process

to a higher level. We must be grateful to Greg for the

dynamic changes that he brought to TTT with vivid

graphic signage and the flashing bus which became a

hallmark welcome to all TTT participants.

Kala Henkensiefken's organizational skills, together

with her leadership in the area of special needs

transportation, has provided an essential training

component. By attracting national speakers like Dr. Linda

Bluth, Peggy Burns, Cal Lemon and Dick Fischer; trainers

and transportation directors and supervisors have

enhanced their professional training.

The history of the TTT in St. Cloud would not be

complete without referencing our use of the St. Cloud

Traffic Safety Training Center where the late Larry Oulette

and his team allowed TTT participants to experience the

dynamics of vehicle performance in skid tests and

serpentine maneuvering. They even coaxed a somewhat

nave Cindy Johnson to wear out a set of sport sedan tires.

For three years, Dave Delmonico provided the

necessary spark to assist in the development of the annual

TTT training agenda. The Minnesota School Bus

Mechanic Association came on board; and, this year

conducted three days of training assisted by school bus

body and chassis manufacturers.

The trade show in 2015 occupied space along the main

corridor of the Hinckley Conference Center and was wel

received for its contributions to the overall success.Cindy McKay has visually promoted the School Bus

Safety Poster Contest along with capturing a visual history

of past TTT programs. Her registration skills have been

augmented by assistance from Tasha Shiffler. Kristin

Johnson and Kevin Stormer are recognized for their

efforts in dispatcher training and lodging logistics.

Over the years, TTT support from the law

enforcement community has been essential to its success

This Silver Anniversary year was no exception. In fact, the

TTT team of exceptional staffers pulled out all the stopsTwo years in planning, the leadership of MAPT Presiden

Derrick Agate Sr. and Denny Coughlin - who has

instructed more than 190 fire and rescue teams

throughout the United States - resulted in the Mock

Crash: Cottonwood Bus Tragedy Reenactment. Presenters

included the Pine County Emergency Management and

EMS teams.

On Thursday afternoon, Lakewood Schoo

Superintendent Sheldon Johnson presented

LEADERSHIP IN A TIME OF CHAOS. to a record

gathering of Minnesota and surrounding state pupi

transportation professionals. An impact panel discussion

moderated by Lt. Brian Reu, Minnesota State Patro

Director of Pupil Transportation Safety, was followed

with a wrap-up session by the Minnesota State Agency

School Emergency Support Team.

On Friday Morning, Sergeant Lance Langford, Crash

Reconstruction Coordinator for the Minnesota State

Patrol, provided insight to the crash reconstruction

processes followed by the Patrol in the event of schoo

bus crash.

I know that I have overlooked mention of countless

individuals who have contributed to the success of the

Minnesota School Bus Driver Train The Trainer

Instructor Seminars. Know that I am truly grateful for

your assistance and inspiration in the development of one

of our country's premier pupil transportation safety

training programs.

With the grace of God, I pray that the TTT future

continues to flourish and enlighten our industry.


11/15

for your students for your colleagues for your profession for yourselfBecome a member of MAPT today

www.mnapt.org

The official Minnesota StPatrol colors went from gray ablack to maroon and gold in 1934the same year the Minnesota GoldGophers went undefeated and wthe Big Ten National Colle

Football Championship.We have the only highway pat

in the country whose colors maroon and gold.

Did you know...


12/15


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Lt. Brian Reu

Minnesota State Patrol

State Director of Pupil Transportation

By now the anxiety and anticipation of what the start of a

new school year brings has hopefully worn off and things are

running smoothly for each of you. Im sure the past few weeks

have not been without their challenges, but hopefully you were

able to meet them head on and move forward. With that said,

I hope you have not settled into a routine.

Over the last couple of months we have had the opportunity

to get out and conduct presentations for many of you and your

drivers. While there were some long days and many miles put on

by those of us in the Office of Pupil Transportation Safety;

we find the startup meetings very beneficial.

This year we conducted 64 presentations to a total of 3,239

drivers in August and September alone.

The main thing I hope your drivers realized was our

appreciation and respect for the job they do and the efforts they

make to keep school buses the safest mode of student

transportation. We want your drivers to view us as a resource so

they can feel confident that they have the information they need

to do their jobs on a daily basis.

Secondly, I hope your drivers left realizing the importance

of not becoming complacent. Sure most drivers have the samevehicle, route and kids each day, but you need to approach each

day and stop with the same intensity and diligence as the first.

The recent tragedy in California in which a student died after

being left on a school bus is an example of the potential

consequences of our actions or lack thereof.

From the pre-trip to the post-trip, you need to be 100%

engaged in your duties. Your students and their parents are

counting on you!

Thank you again for what you do.

Stay safe and stay aware.

Complacency

January 15-16, 2016

St Paul RiverCentre

The School Bus Safety Expo brings togeth

transportation directors, school administratoschool bus company owners as well transportation management and staff.

Last year, over 300 school bus industofficials came to St. Paul in order to kethemselves up to date with the latest industinformation and regulations. This tradeshoincluded 30 vendors displaying the latest angreatest technologies and products, including

indoor display of new buses from IC, Thom

and Bluebird, as well as used buses.This is an event not to be misseVendor information, as well as accommodatioand more can be found under the UpcomiEvents tab on MSBOAs website.

Mark YourCalendar!


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