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Transportation director reports big year for bus service, asks for continued support
Summary
Transportation director reported a jump in miles and trips, improvements in inspections and driver staffing, a state funding increase and plans to replace three buses; she asked the board to support driver retention strategies and technology repairs.
The Eatonville School District's transportation director told the board the department logged substantially more service this school year and outlined priorities for fleet replacement and driver retention.
"So this school year, we traveled 342,282 miles as of the June 16," said Bonnie, the district's transportation director, reporting an increase of 121,342 miles over the prior year. She said the department supported 283 bus trips this year compared with 89 trips last year and that careful use of vans for smaller teams reduced some costs.
Bonnie reported a 100% pass rate on winter inspections and improvements in summer inspections; she said some older buses require costly repairs and that three replacement buses (two route buses and one trip bus) were scheduled to arrive at the end of July. She also said driver staffing had improved: "I have 24 active drivers" and that three additional trainees over the summer would provide more cushion next year.
On state funding, Bonnie told the board the district's transportation allocation increased and said, "So we did have an increase of $260,331 for transportation." She urged continued advocacy for state reimbursement algorithms that the district finds unpredictable.
Board members and staff discussed student behavior on buses, use of camera/DVR systems and how the district is planning training in August to align with recent OSPI guidance on behavior. Bonnie said some DVRs and cameras will need replacement and that improved video will help identify students who need behavioral interventions or parent conversations.
The board thanked Bonnie and the transportation staff for keeping buses running through athletics and field trips, and approved related items on the consent agenda including approval of three replacement buses to address portables and aging vehicles.
