Gold Star outlines hiring, safety and tech plans ahead of Wichita Falls ISD bus contract start

Gold Star Transportation gave the Wichita Falls Independent School District Board of Trustees a progress report on its transition to the district's transportation contract, saying the contractor is near its hiring targets, will move into district facilities July 1 and will add vehicle safety equipment and student-tracking technology before school opens.

The update, delivered to trustees by Dennis Gallagher, senior vice president of operations for Gold Star, covered recruiting, training, fleet and facility timelines and planned safety features including crossing arms and a ZPass student ridership system.

The presentation matters because Gold Star will operate all district buses under a new contract starting July 1; the company’s staffing, equipment and training plans affect daily student transportation and safety on the district’s 61 home-to-school routes.

Gold Star said it plans to staff 61 route drivers plus roughly a 10 percent spare bench. “On paper, the goal is 67 drivers to hire, 61 to cover routes, plus a 10% spare bench. Our goal for hiring is more like 70,” Gallagher said. As of the board meeting Gold Star reported 58 drivers hired. The company said monitor hires lag drivers: full coverage would require 30 monitors, 33 for a 10% spare bench and Gold Star’s internal goal is about 35; the contractor reported 25–27 monitors completed training to date and expects that number to rise in July when monitors begin work and pay begins.

Gold Star also outlined safety and technology investments. The company will begin installation of crossing arms on buses this summer and said the device “forces the student to go just even a few feet further in front before crossing,” improving the driver’s line of sight. Gallagher called the crossing-arm installation “a significant investment in safety.” The contractor also plans GPS on vehicles and ZPass RFID cards for elementary riders to record when and where students board and exit buses. “This will improve safety because it creates an accountability measure for those students,” Gallagher said, and provides “real time route data” to help staff and the district refine stops and run times.

Gold Star said it will not occupy district facilities or take possession of the fleet until the contract begins July 1. The company plans an initial full fleet inspection after that date with findings to be shared with WFISD staff for review.

Gold Star staff described a hiring and training schedule: multiple driver training classes were held in late May and June; behind-the-wheel training will continue through June and July; Gold Star plans an August kickoff week for staff at Memorial High School with shirts, welcome packets and orientation. Tiffany Grant, Gold Star’s new terminal manager for Wichita Falls, and Kelly Johnson, Gold Star vice president of operations, described local staffing retained from the prior operation, new hires, and employee-engagement events such as breakfasts and an ice-cream social to encourage retention.

Board members asked operational questions about ZPass use and students with disabilities. A Gold Star representative said monitors will help students who cannot tap a card and that cards will be used to record loading and unloading times so parents can be notified. The contractor indicated cards can be reprinted in-house and that replacement cards could cost up to $5 under local policies used by other districts.

Discussion was informational; trustees did not take a formal vote during the presentation. Board members and Gold Star agreed to continue coordination over routes, driver placement and the July move into district facilities.

Trustees indicated general support for Gold Star’s plans and thanked the vendor for the update as the district transitions vendors and prepares for the new school year.

Gold Star’s presentation and related Q&A will continue to inform WFISD’s operational checks as the July 1 contract start date approaches.