MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — At
the National Association for
Pupil Transportation’s (NAPT)
2008 trade show here in October,
SCHOOL BUS FLEET held
a raffle to award one attendee a
trip to the 2009 conference and
trade show in Louisville, Ky.
The winner was Nancy Solomon,
transportation specialist for Human
Services Inc.’s Head Start program
in Columbus, Ind. Solomon has worked
for the operation for four years, the last
seven months of which have been particularly
taxing.
After experiencing months of heavy
rainfall, rivers in several Midwestern
states overflowed their banks, causing
floods in June and July that substantially
damaged communities.
“We lost 15 buses and two vans
in the flood, and our entire building
was damaged as well,” Solomon
said.
Because the flooding occurred
in the summer, the losses did
not disrupt the operation’s ability
to transport students until the
fall. Fortunately, the transportation
staff at local school districts
— Monroe County Community
School Corp. in Bloomington and Bartholomew
Consolidated School Corp.
in Columbus, among others — loaned
buses to the program.
The operation also applied for a
grant and has 11 buses on order.
In spite of the success Solomon and
her colleagues have had in rebuilding
the operation, Solomon said they have
faced a fair share of obstacles.
“Maintaining transportation for the
children has been difficult,” Solomon
said, “and the uncertainty, not knowing
whether we were going to get a grant for
more buses — that was a challenge.”
Human Services’ Head Start program
serves 382 students and families
throughout six counties. Solomon said
that last year the operation established
pickup points for children to reduce
fuel consumption. The staff believes
that its new fleet will reduce the operation’s
fuel consumption as well.
In addition to her responsibilities at
the Head Start program, Solomon stays
active in the pupil transportation community
as president of the Indiana Head
Start Transportation Association and by
attending state conferences, regional
meetings and the NAPT conference.
“I try to attend the NAPT show at
least every two years, and I generally
[have to] pay for my registration,” Solomon
said, “so winning the giveaway
is a real blessing. It was very exciting.”