By Molly McGee-Hewitt, PhD, CAE NAPT Executive Director & CEO So often in leadership and hiring, we focus on experience, training, and licenses. School district HR offices verify employment and credentials and ensure that all requirements are checked off. They do an excellent job of confirming that applicants meet the established criteria. What we often fail to discuss are the leadership skills that are hard to qualify and quantify. This month, we begin a column series on the leadership skills and attributes of successful transportation professionals. For the next twelve months, we will carefully explore these leadership talents that are often incorrectly labeled as “soft skills.” If we were to design a pyramid outlining the leadership of successful transportation officials, we would start at the bottom with trust. Trust is the foundation of a successful leader. It is a core value that enables leadership to flourish. Trust is a character quality that sustains both your integrity and your career in a myriad of situations. Without a doubt, the foremost author on this subject is Stephen R. Covey. In The Speed of Trust, he addresses this issue with truth, grace, and facts. While I am a fan of the Covey family, this book is extraordinary. If you are going to read one book this year, make it this one. Why is trust the foundation? When we trust people, we give them our support, respect, and loyalty. We understand that they are people of their word. When they make a promise or an agreement, they follow through. They do what they say they are going to do and exhibit leadership through both actions and words. You can count on them. You know they are true to their word and that they pay attention. If they are wrong, they admit it and correct it. If they have an issue, they do not gossip or complain; they address it with care and concern. If you have ever worked in a toxic environment, you know that trust is hard to find. People do not tell the truth. Agreements are not kept. Confidences are shared inappropriately. Who you know may be more important than what you know. Leaders who have a high level of trust from their staff and superiors experience less turnover and earn respect for their units or divisions. Covey comments that trust builds slowly, one kept promise or agreement at a time. One behavior, comment, or action builds our trust. Lying is not an option for the trust-founded leader. They may be diplomatic in their words or actions, but they exemplify trust every day. New employees at all levels enter our organizations with a clean slate. They have the opportunity to build their trust base from day one. Trust should become their goal. As they begin their roles, they recognize that their success is contingent on both their ability to do the job and their ability to build support. They build their own future without intentionally damaging the reputation of those who came before them. In my career, I have worked with some amazing, trusted colleagues and leaders. Watching them navigate challenges in their careers and lives has been a wonderful education. From them, I saw the value of trust and the impact their character had on our team. I believed them, counted on them, and supported them. I knew they appreciated this and reciprocated. In a toxic environment, I encountered almost the opposite. There was little accountability, a great deal of finger-pointing and blame, and dishonesty was common. To survive, you had to fight to maintain your character. Like the positive examples I witnessed, that toxic experience sharpened my appreciation for trust and strong, positive leadership. While trust builds slowly, it can be lost in a heartbeat. Distrust occurs when words and actions are in conflict—when you tell one story to one person and a different story to another. One lie or misstep can cause trust to dissolve immediately. Our words and actions have consequences. It is interesting to me that when people behave in a non-trustworthy manner, they are often loud and aggressive when confronted. They may threaten legal action or retribution. They may try to intimidate you into believing or accepting their position. Truly trustworthy leaders do not need to do this. When my children were young and did something wrong, they often feared telling the truth. They did not want to be grounded or lose privileges. When they lied or acted inappropriately, they denied it and avoided accountability. For me, those moments demanded honesty and responsibility. As a parent, I worked to instill character in my children, and trust was paramount. In my home and in my career, if you tell me the truth, I will do my best to help us work through it. If you lie to me, the issue escalates and can damage the relationship. What is your trust quotient? Is trust the foundation of your character? What about your workplace: is it a trustworthy place to work? Are you a trusted and valued leader? None of us is perfect, and that is a given. We are smart and adaptable. If we fail to build trust, we can correct course and strengthen it.

  For millions of families across North America, the yellow school bus represents structure, consistency, safety, and peace of mind. It is the bridge between home and school, work and family life, and opportunity and access. While much attention is often given to the students who ride the bus each day, parents also feel the impact of school transportation in profound ways. From easing the pressures of demanding work schedules to helping children feel connected and welcomed at school, school buses quietly shape family routines and strengthen communities. For many parents, transportation professionals become trusted partners in their children’s education and wellbeing. Three parents from different backgrounds and communities — Jack Roddy of New York, Renee Delgado of New York, and America Martinez of Arizona — shared their experiences with School BUSRide. For Jack Roddy, the memory of the school bus begins with one of the most emotional milestones in a parent’s life: a child’s first day of school. “I have very vivid memories of my oldest son John’s first day of school,” Roddy recalled. “In my mind, I can still see the whole family and our dog waiting at the bus stop.” Roddy remembers the reassurance his family immediately felt from the transportation staff in their district. The transportation supervisor patiently answered questions, while the driver took extra time to make the moment special for a nervous young student and his family. “It was John’s introduction to the school system,” Roddy said. “And he came back with good stories about other little guys he rode the bus with and how much he enjoyed the bus.” That positive experience left a lasting impression. Roddy said his son quickly began looking forward to the ride each morning, forming friendships during the 45-minute commute that have lasted into adulthood. For parents, those early bus experiences often become the first indication of how their child will connect with school. A welcoming ride can ease anxiety, create excitement, and establish routines that set the tone for academic success. Roddy later served on his local school board, which gave him a deeper understanding of the transportation system and the professionalism required to operate it safely. “As a parent, I just assumed school bus drivers went into a career in transportation, got themselves a CDL license and began to work,” he said. “I was shocked to see how much these drivers have to do every year and how often the state of New York came to the district for inspections.” That experience transformed his appreciation for student transportation professionals. He described drivers as “unsung heroes” who do far more than simply transport students. “They’re the ones that start the kids’ day out,” Roddy said. “They’re the ones that say goodbye to them. They’re the ones that can really see a kid getting on the bus or getting off and have a sense of how they feel.” Roddy also emphasized the essential role transportation plays in rural communities, where long distances make access to education impossible without school buses. “Our school really is the center of our whole community,” he explained. “And you can’t think about our school without thinking about those buses that take the kids to games, take the kids to field trips, bring them to sing at the senior center.”   For parents like Roddy, school transportation represents much more than convenience. It is an essential public service that supports education, extracurricular involvement, and community connection. For Renee Delgado, the importance of school transportation is felt every single day in the balancing act of raising three active boys while managing the demands of a busy working household. “We are a family of five,” Delgado shared. “Both my husband and I work. Our daily routine is extremely busy.” Her family’s schedule reflects the reality many parents face. Early athletic workouts, after-school activities, multiple campuses, and varying dismissal times create a logistical challenge that would be nearly impossible without reliable transportation. “At one point in time, all three of our boys were on different buses, leaving the house at different times,” Delgado explained. Like many families, the Delgados spend significant time driving their children to activities outside the school day. The availability of school buses during school hours helps ease that burden. “Outside of the school day, we constantly drive our boys to their commitments,” she said. “So having the school bus during the school day is extremely helpful.” Delgado also highlighted the role transportation plays in educational equity and opportunity. For working parents, reliable school transportation can make the difference between manageable routines and overwhelming stress. “If we all can agree that education is the great equalizer, then we must all agree that the ability to be at school is just as essential,” she said. “For so many parents, without the school bus balancing work, parenting and other obligations of life would be near impossible.” Her perspective reflects a reality transportation leaders know well: school buses are critical infrastructure for working families. They allow parents to maintain employment while ensuring students arrive safely and consistently at school. Delgado also praised the professionalism and attentiveness of drivers she observed while chaperoning field trips. “I recall chaperoning field trips and seeing how the bus drivers were always professional and treated their responsibility to transport the children safely with pride,” she said. That trust is built through daily interactions and consistent care. Delgado remembered one driver in particular who made an effort to connect personally with her son. “On Monday he would always ask how my son’s games went over the weekend,” she said. “He always took the time to strike up a quick conversation as he began his day.” Those moments may seem small, but to parents they demonstrate that drivers see students as individuals. For America Martinez, school transportation became especially meaningful during a major transition in her family life. Martinez is a work-from-home single mother raising two elementary-aged children. Before changing schools, her daughter attended a charter school without bus service, forcing Martinez to Read More >

  Presented by Q’STRAINT For Hamilton Southeastern Schools, the question was never whether they were meeting the standard. It was whether meeting the standard was enough for their students with special needs. Zach McKinney has roughly 320 buses, 21,000 students, and a perspective most transportation directors share but rarely say out loud: the school bus is already the safest mode of transportation to and from school. But is that also the case for special needs students? “That’s hands down fact,” says McKinney, Director of Transportation for Hamilton Southeastern Schools in Fishers, Indiana. “But how can we continue to move such a safe mode of transportation to be an even safer environment for our [special needs] students down the road?” That question led him to pilot the Q’STRAINT ONE, an all-in-one wheelchair securement station designed to simplify and strengthen the securement process on accessible buses. But the story of how Hamilton Southeastern brought it into service is less about the product and more about what a high-standard district looks like when it refuses to settle. The Process Matters as Much as the Product McKinney didn’t just order a new system and install it. He went to Indiana’s school safety committee, a panel drawn from the medical profession, law enforcement, and transportation, to request a formal pilot program. That process, he says, is exactly what it should be. “There’s a collective audience in that room with a wide array of experience and knowledge,” he explains. “I’m not to say I’m always going to bring the best idea. But you bring it, and they make that informed decision.” Once approved, Hamilton Southeastern trial tested the Q’ONE on the road without students before any rider boarded. They evaluated the system’s integrity, gathered feedback from drivers and attendants, and pushed refinements back to Q’STRAINT, including suggestions around driver notification. “It’s one thing for engineers to sit at a table and draw this up,” McKinney says. “It’s another thing for the end user to put it into practice with students on a day-in, day-out basis. That continual progression, and the openness from the vendor to have those conversations, that’s what moves things forward.” What Drivers Actually Experience Tonya, a driver with 31 years in student transportation, has watched securement evolve through every iteration. Her take on Q’ONE is simple: “Everything has gotten a lot better, and with Q’STRAINT ONE, it’s even easier.” Where other systems require manual tensioning and anchoring retractors to the floor, leaving the potential for operator error and creating tripping hazards, the Q’ONE keeps everything flush and self-contained. The need to first anchor securements to floor is eliminated. Drivers press a single button, and the system tightens and locks automatically. A visual indicator confirms securement is complete. The same button releases the securements at the end of the trip. “I don’t have to worry about trying to crank it tight and hope I actually got it as tight as I could,” Tonya says. Removing the step of anchoring each securement to the vehicle floor “It makes the drive easier, faster for our routes, and I feel very safe with it on my bus.” The reduced cognitive load for drivers by simplifying the securement process is not a small thing. On busy routes with multiple wheelchair passengers, wondering whether every securement was done correctly is a real burden. Systems that eliminate that doubt through design, change the operational experience in ways that matter. The Rider’s Perspective Madison is 20 years old, uses a power wheelchair, and has ridden school buses most of her life. She talks about the bus the way many peers talk about their commute: it’s social, it’s routine, and it’s hers. “I love being on this bus,” she says. “I get to talk to my friends, interact with people. I don’t feel left alone. I feel like I’m with everyone.” What she returns to most is freedom, the sense that her chair, her independence, and her space on the bus are genuinely hers. Her father, Kevin, puts it plainly: “She’s just happy to get locked in and get gone. I’m very thankful for Q’STRAINT because they’ve impacted my life and her life in ways I can’t even express in words.” Are We Doing All We Can, Or Just Enough? McKinney frames the broader challenge with the clarity of someone managing a large, high-performing operation: compliance is the floor, not the ceiling. “I tell my staff every year: I’m a dad in this community,” he says. “So if I’m not going out to find innovative ways to continue to improve our practice, then what am I doing?” For directors navigating budget pressure, staffing challenges, and new technology, his example offers a clear template: engage your state’s approval processes, pilot rigorously, include end users in the feedback loop, and evaluate not just whether something is safe, but whether it’s safer than what came before. That mindset, more than any single product, is what moves the needle for students like Madison, riders who depend on us to ask harder questions than the standard requires. A contributed article by Q’STRAINT and Hamilton Southeastern Schools, Fishers, IN.

  Rather than clear a path for cleaner air, why are we throwing down inequitable hurdles for schools to overcome By Randy Jubb, Todd Mouw & Ryan Vance   Earlier this year, Potomac Edison, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., announced the launch of an $11.1 million five-year pilot program to deploy 28 electric school buses across seven counties in western Maryland. The goal of the project is to help school districts meet Maryland’s Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022, which requires public schools to operate zero-emission vehicles. With decades of experience in student transportation, we, too, are invested in clean, low-emission school bus options. With 1 million public school students traveling millions of miles to Maryland’s 1,400 schools, we respectfully ask whether cornering schools into a one-option solution is viable, fair or discerning. Yes, electric buses are wildly popular, but it’s well-known that adopting them requires a heavy lift for school districts. While the pilot program — which aims to provide administrative support and explore opportunities for grid reliability — could result in potentially helpful learnings, 28 buses is a drop in the bucket. This project might help Maryland schools take baby steps in reducing harmful emissions, but the mandate is to run toward cleaner emissions, not stumble. A more strategic and less disruptive approach to reducing school bus emissions already has traction in the state and should be the focus of hefty investments like this one: propane school buses. There are currently 145 propane school buses operating across 15 school districts in Maryland, suggesting a solid infrastructure, familiarity with the technology and high satisfaction. As a school bus contractor in Anne Arundel County, Md., Jubb’s Bus Services oversees the daily transportation of over 12,000 students, amounting to more than 2.1 million student trips annually — a scale that demands consistency, safety and fiscal responsibility. In 2015, Jubb’s Bus Services became the first contractor in Maryland to integrate propane-powered school buses, a decision reflective of both foresight and confidence in the technology. Over the last 30 years, propane autogas technology has advanced to the point that propane school bus emissions are near-zero. Today’s propane school buses are 90% cleaner than the Environmental Protection Agency’s most stringent heavy-duty engine standard. Propane emits fewer greenhouse gases, smog-producing hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides and virtually eliminates particulate emissions compared with conventional fuels like diesel. And propane school buses don’t disrupt the power grid because they run on an affordable and abundant American-made fuel that isn’t vulnerable to shifting geopolitical winds. Like many, Jubb’s Bus Services’ migration away from diesel was driven by persistent emissions-system complications that eroded efficiency and increased downtime. But rather than resolving a set of issues posed by diesel, electric buses would have presented the company with a whole new set of obstacles to overcome: infrastructure investment, battery degradation, range limitations and lifecycle cost volatility, among others. Astronomical upfront costs are cited as one of the main inhibitors to electric bus adoption. Through this project, Potomac Edison will cover the cost difference between diesel and electric buses, along with the cost of charging equipment and any required electrical upgrades during the installation process. That may be helpful for the smattering of districts participating in the pilot program, but this level of investment simply isn’t feasible or sustainable for a majority of school districts to work through on their own. Propane school buses cost only slightly more than their diesel counterparts, no new charging equipment or technology is required and propane infrastructure is about 85% less expensive than electric. With such a strong push, it seems as though we’re asking school districts for an unfair trade-off that makes it difficult to focus on student learning: reduced emissions for increased risk, more complications and higher costs. Expanding school district fleets to include alternative fuels with a proven technology like propane autogas can, and should, be an intuitive progression rather than a forced endeavor. Randall (Randy) Jubb, is president of Jubb’s Bus Service, Inc. Todd Mouw serves as executive vice president for ROUSH CleanTech. Ryan Vance is president of the Mid-Atlantic Propane Gas Association and chief operating officer for Jacobs Petroleum Products.