Pictured is the transportation staff at Orange (Calif.) Unified School District. I chatted with Transportation Director Pamela McDonald (far right) and Transportation Supervisor Ellen Johnson (second from right) during a recent visit.

We here at SBF make an effort to reach out regularly to our readers via telephone calls and e-mails to find out the latest news and developments at their operations. While people can certainly form a good working relationship this way, there is something to be said for meeting in person and talking face to face. That’s why we also visit pupil transportation operations around Southern California throughout the year to chat with the staff. Moreover, when we travel out of state for conferences, we usually schedule a visit with an operation that is located there.

I have visited numerous transportation facilities in my years at SBF, and Orange (Calif.) Unified School District (OUSD) is one of them. I made my first trip down there in 2007, just several months after starting on the SBF team. It was an informative visit, and the entire team was welcoming — Transportation Director Pamela McDonald and Transportation Supervisor Ellen Johnson invited me to come back any time.

I took them up on this offer earlier this month, and I'd like to share with you here some of the things I learned during my recent visit.

OUSD operates a handful of compressed natural gas (CNG) buses, most of which it has acquired through grants from the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD). The district also performed a trade with Big Bear (Calif.) Unified School District — OUSD gave the district three of its units, and in return, Big Bear Unified gave OUSD three of its pre-1977 buses. OUSD took those buses and crushed them, and received three new CNG buses from an AQMD grant. (McDonald said that the team at Big Bear Unified feels CNG buses aren't economical for the district because it's difficult for drivers to find stations to refuel the buses in the area they serve.)

Like many pupil transportation operations, OUSD has to contend with a tight budget. The transportation department was forced to lay off one technician and some trainers. As a result, some school bus drivers now also serve as driver instructors. The department has also stopped providing transportation for students who are considered “gifted and talented” if those students want to go to a school other than their home school. Finally, some routes have been combined, and some school bell times have changed to accommodate this.   

OUSD transports more than 1,000 students with special needs and has created four additional special-needs routes since my last visit. The operation is also working on developing a program to reduce ride times for special-needs students. It entails bringing the students to a school in their high school attendance boundary instead of to a school across town.

Personnel at the transportation department have increased their presence at IEP meetings. Johnson or one of the department’s special-education dispatchers will attend if there is an issue related to transportation. In addition, the district’s new pupil services director created a two-minute video for the staff that attends IEP meetings. It covers transportation-related questions to ask during the meetings and the importance of inviting transportation personnel to the meetings.

In the last several years, the department has cut about $50,000 to $60,000 in parts inventory costs. Previously, three rooms at the facility were used for parts storage — there is now one room for parts storage. The department also received credits from suppliers for old parts; this enabled the staff to get new parts for free.

McDonald said she would like to work on setting up a program at the maintenance garage wherein a student or a bus driver could intern at the shop. She is also working on setting up an internship program for ROP students.

Finally, the last time I visited the operation, McDonald and Johnson discussed a five-year mutual agreement between the district’s transportation department and the Orange County Department of Education. In this agreement, OUSD and other school districts within the county have committed to helping one another transport students. If, for instance, a district has to transport students to a large event and it does not have enough buses, the OUSD transportation department will send its drivers and buses to the district to provide aid. The district also participated in a mutual agreement for fuel. McDonald said she plans to renew both of these mutual agreements, and that the mutual transportation agreement generated $90,000 in additional revenue. 
 
If your operation is located in Southern California and you would be open to a visit from SBF’s editors, let us know. Send an e-mail to info@schoolbusfleet.com.

Until next time,

Kelly Roher
Managing Editor