Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Harlow Update topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District transportation contractor outlines fleet, staffing and plans for route growth ahead of boundary changes
Summary
Harlow School Bus Services told the Williston Basin School District 7 board that it currently serves about 760 students, operates 26 general route buses (three temporarily out of service), and plans to expand from 16 to about 21 general routes for next school year.
Ken Bischoff, director of operations for Harlow School Bus Services, and Katie Zukelt, Harlow’s local transportation manager, briefed the Williston Basin School District 7 board on operational capacity, staffing and fleet condition.
Bischoff and Zukelt said Harlow currently operates 26 general‑route buses (the larger buses), of which three were out of service at the time of the update (the contractor said one of those had been returned to service earlier that day). The contractor also operates five 14‑passenger buses used for special education routes and eight activity buses; two additional activity buses have been ordered for expected summer delivery.
Zukelt said the contractor runs 16 general routes now, plans to expand to 21 general routes by the start of the next school year, and currently runs seven SPED routes serving about 61 students. She said roughly 760 students ride district buses now (up from about 500 at the start of the year) and that an approximate waitlist of 252 registrations remains; registrations fluctuate daily.
On staffing, Harlow reported five full‑time 12‑month employees locally and 29 part‑time 10‑month employees (including route and activity drivers), with two staff members in CDL training and others in the hiring pipeline. Bischoff said recruiting has improved after targeted outreach and that recent hires came from career fair referrals and employee referrals.
Bischoff addressed compensation and recruiting challenges. He said start pay in the Williston market is higher than in many other North Dakota locations and gave an example that drivers in this market start at about $34.50 per hour in some roles, which the contractors said is necessary to attract and retain qualified drivers.
Board members asked about the effects of upcoming boundary changes; Harlow said more compact routes under new boundaries should reduce ride times and make routing simpler, though the contractor will still maintain a pool of spare buses in case of breakdowns.
No board action was required. Members thanked Harlow staff for recruiting and operational work and discussed facility and parking needs for the contractor’s Eighth East operations site.
