When I told a family friend, a former elementary school district superintendent, that I was on the staff of a magazine serving the school bus industry, her response was, “Whoa, talk about a marginalized population.”

As a superintendent, she must have dealt with the transportation department on a regular basis. From her perspective, and perhaps that of the larger school community as well, transportation was in the margins. From where I sit today, I see a vibrant, engaged and dedicated community represented by the people I’ve met in the school bus industry.

But after our conversation, I kept thinking about her characterization and saw some truths in it. With operations often located off-campus, and staff relegated to the bus depot or their routes, it’s easy to see how the transportation department could feel cut off from the rest of the school system — the administration, teachers, other departments and even the students who don’t ride the bus, which is sometimes a large population.

However, transportation is a key element of the school system. Drivers interact with students and parents as frequently and intimately as teachers do. Transportation requires a sizeable chunk of the district’s budget. And school buses provide a safe haven between school and home. The job is not marginal at all.

How can transportation administrators and school bus drivers counteract this sense of isolation? Here are a few suggestions:

• Attend school board meetings to voice concerns, publicize successes and participate in discussions that impact both your operations and the school system as a whole.

• Set up a booth at community events and bring key staff to speak with parents. Maybe park a bus nearby to draw attention. Also, hold an open house on back-to-school night.

• Contact other department heads and schedule joint in-services, allowing staff to get to know each other and share resources.

• Connect with teachers. When problems with students arise, a bus driver might be the first to know and can communicate with educators to help a child.

• Attract positive attention by participating in school-wide charity events, such as canned food drives — or organize your own.

• Make a point of inviting school administrators and teachers to Love the Bus or other transportation appreciation events.

• Make communications a top priority. Among other messages you need to communicate to parents and teachers, it’s never been a better time to advertise that students can “go green” by taking the bus to school. Update your Website, put out a newsletter (it doesn’t have to be long) and put contact information for the transportation department on communications sent home to parents and guardians.

  The suggestions I’ve thrown out above may be obvious to the industry veterans. You may be stretched thin, having trouble covering all your routes, let alone attending school board meetings.

  Getting out of the margins should be a priority, though. In the long run, you will raise employee morale, legitimize your needs and concerns with administrators and become a positive force in the lives of other school staff, parents and students. Write to us to update us on your efforts.