School BUSRide spoke with Ron Chaffin, Transportation Supervisor for Putnam County Schools (TN). He spoke about being an early adopter of electric vehicles, his dual role as a county commissioner and transportation supervisor, and his thoughts on what NAPT does best for its membership.
How did you get started in pupil transportation, and what led you to your current position?
I’ve been a bus driver on and off for approximately the last 30 years. I became supervisor of Putnam County Schools in 2022. I actually developed a love for school transportation back when I was in grade school. My mother was my bus driver, so it was one of those things where you had to do as she said. I got to the point where I loved what she was a part of. As I got older, I thought I wanted to get involved as well, and here I am.
It’s probably one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done, and I love working with all my teachers, principals, employees, and mechanics. Everybody we work with in pupil transportation has the same passion, and that’s what it’s all about.
Tell us about your transportation operation.
We are in the Upper Cumberland area of Tennessee. We’re on the Cumberland Plateau and right in the center of the state. I have 80 buses in my fleet. We have 64 bus routes. Of those 64 routes, I think 43 are general education and the remainder are SPED.
We have approximately 120 employees in our department. Seventy-five of those are CDL drivers, and the remainder are mechanics and attendants. Out of the 43 or 44 general education routes, I have 26 attendants on my buses, and all of the SPED buses have attendants as well. We have a good, diverse group in order to get the job done.
Putnam County Schools was an early adopter of electric school buses. What inspired that decision?
When the electric bus grant became available in 2021, we applied through Cumberland Truck, our International bus representative. Ashley Scurlock helped us apply for the grant, and we were actually the first county to receive buses through the program. We got them in August 2022, and we’ve been excited about them ever since.
It’s been one of the best things we’ve done. As far as durability and overall performance as a school bus, it’s one of the best decisions we’ve made. I’m really pleased with the performance of these buses.
One of the main reasons was that, with technology changing and with ongoing changes involving propane, gas, emissions, and other fuel technologies, I wanted to have an alternate plan in place in case we needed to make changes down the road. When the electric bus grant became available, we wanted to jump on it because I’d rather learn ahead of time than be forced into it later.
We never know what the future holds or whether some percentage of our fleet might eventually be required to be electric. I wanted to learn, train my drivers, and train my staff on how the buses operate. I also wanted to work through the challenges early.
It’s been a learning experience for us. One thing I always try to do in my department is explore anything new or exciting as it becomes available so we can be ready when the time comes.
In addition to your transportation role, you also serve as a county commissioner. How does that perspective influence your work?
I’m currently serving my fourth term as a county commissioner. We vote on county budgets, and I represent District 2 in Putnam County. I love doing it because I enjoy working with people and representing the residents of my district.
What they want may not always be what I personally want, but I represent them, so that’s how I have to vote. That’s very important to me.
I do have to wear two different hats. This year, I’m serving on the county budget committee, and we’re working through a very difficult budget, just like many other counties. I attended the school board meeting last night, where draft two of the budget was presented.
Changes have to be made based on revenue from the state and local sources. I have to look at both sides and consider the needs of the school system as well as the county.
Sometimes that creates difficult situations, but communication with the people in my district is important. I think they appreciate that I understand both perspectives. I also understand how important it is to save money within the school system because revenue may not always be as abundant as we need it to be. We have to make adjustments to expenses in order to meet in the middle.
What advice would you offer other NAPT members, especially those who are new to the industry?
Education. We all need to be educated about what’s going on. If we’re not educated, we can’t do our jobs the way they need to be done.
I’m partial to NAPT because I went through the certification process and became a certified supervisor through NAPT. I’m currently working on the director certification.
Education is huge. You have to know what’s coming 10 years down the road and what we need to start preparing for now. If you’re not educated and aware of what’s happening in your department, then you’re behind the eight ball. We’ve got to know what’s going on.
How can NAPT best support transportation professionals in their day-to-day work?
Personally, I think they’re already doing it. They’re putting the information out there that we need to know.
I had the opportunity through IC Bus to serve on a committee with people from Canada, Texas, and other parts of the country. Everybody has the same issues, experiences, and challenges. Some may have more zeros in their budgets than others. Some may have 1,200 buses, while I have 80. But we all face many of the same issues.
NAPT’s role is to continue providing information and understanding that conditions may vary across different parts of the country, even though many of the challenges are similar. They do a very good job of providing information that helps us operate and develop our departments, make improvements, and keep up with industry changes.