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Tiffin transportation staff urge more bus aides, tablets and facility fixes to improve safety
Summary
The district's transportation presenter described equipment and staffing needs — including bus aides for high-tension afternoon runs, tablet devices for attendance and routing, and restroom and meeting-room upgrades at the transportation facility — asking the board to consider budgeting for the items next year.
A transportation staff member told the Tiffin City Schools Board on Thursday that adding bus aides, equipping buses with tablets and improving staff facilities would improve student safety and efficiency.
The presenter described conditions at the transportation office and on some routes and said, "If I only had an aide on the bus, I could drive the bus a lot more focused, a lot safer, not distracted." He asked the board to prioritize adding a second adult on high‑tension afternoon runs and to consider tablets that would provide stop and student information, attendance and card-tap capabilities.
Staff said mechanics have prepared buses for next school year, but the transportation building has limited meeting space and three small restrooms that predate the district's use of the facility. The presenter noted that a larger conference room and updated restrooms would help staff working long shifts and that a tablet system could cut paper reporting and speed attendance tracking.
The presenter also described vendor research on routing tablets and said other districts reported improved driver focus and simplified attendance with tablet systems. He asked for consideration of a phased plan to add aides on routes with the most disciplinary incidents and for capital or operating funds to evaluate tablet rollouts and modest facility updates.
Board members acknowledged the concerns and the presenter was asked to return with cost estimates and a proposed timeline; no formal budget action was taken at the meeting.
