Pause with us for a moment to reflect on 2020 and 2021. Pause to reflect on what has transpired in our nation and our schools and on our school buses. Pause to reflect on what we have accomplished in these months of change and disruption. Pause to consider what the next twelve months will bring […]
“Essential workers.” “First people children see every day.” “Critical to children’s education.” Most of us have said these things, with good cause, about our school bus drivers…which makes the current rash of violent acts against drivers so hard to reconcile. As the 2021-22 school year nears the first quarter mark, it has been marked by […]
Several months ago, we explored the issue of advocacy for school transportation professionals. Given the time of year and the environment in which we find ourselves, it seems appropriate to revisit that topic and go a little deeper. Why? Because it is getting pretty real out there! The nation is still reeling under the COVID […]
Over the many years I have been fortunate enough to be a part of the school bus community, I have often said that school transportation folks are ‘problem solvers’ and that you tend to not pat yourselves on the back very often. The culture of school transportation is to recognize the situation at hand, address […]
When I first was hired in Oneida County, New York, in 1974, the County Executive I worked for told me to remember two things, one of which is the focus of this article. I have tried to live by it ever since: “If there is bad news or there are hard decisions needing my attention, […]
By Peter Mannella Several years ago, at an annual conference I was planning in New York, I invited a guest speaker who specialized in child and family social trends and conditions. My intention was for her to share information with the pupil transportation professionals in the room about the children who get our attention […]
When you look in the professional mirror each morning, what do you see looking back at you? Do you see a transportation professional? Or do you see an education professional responsible for the safe and efficient transportation of America’s school children? Like our school colleagues in psychology and nursing and facilities and library science, we […]
When I worked as a professional lobbyist, I trained our clients in grassroots advocacy strategies. The credo of our firm focused on enabling average New Yorkers to speak out for themselves as the strongest form of advocacy. We believed that every citizen should learn about and develop their capacity for speaking out about – and […]
Essential workers. The news media and politicians talk about them all the time, speaking in almost reverent terms about vitally essential workers: EMTs, fire fighters, nurses, nurse aides, teachers, and restaurant workers. And yet, there is rarely a mention of school bus drivers when ‘essential workers’ are invoked. In 1970, singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell wrote the […]
As a new president transitions to the Oval Office, many pieces must be put in place by the new administration in a coordinated fashion. One of the critical steps that must be handled effectively and efficiently is the appointment of key staff members, including Cabinet Secretaries and other agency leadership. While school transportation is not […]