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TransporterTransporterMinnesota Associationfor Pupil Transportatio
Fall 2015
N THIS ISSUE
Page 2
015 TTT Recap
Page 3
llegal Passing Survey
Pages 4-5
DVS Certification Forms
Page 6
015 Sped Awards
Page 8Around our Area
Page 9
Efficiency and Safety
Page 10
A Silver Anniversary forhe Record Books
Page 13
Complacency
Page 13
chool Bus Safety Expo
Page 14
Legislative Statement
Page 15
MAPT Membership
Checking in from the State CapitolBy Brad Lundell
MAPT Lobbyist
The school year isunderway and Imsure all of youstarted the year backin the groove. Itsalways a challenging
time getting routes finalized and ridership issuessettled, but things are usually humming rightout of the gate. My job as your lobbyist has afew similarities in that Im trying to route billsthrough the legislative process and a snowday of sorts derailed a few efforts that wouldhave been helpful for school transportationofficials.
First and foremost in the eyes of MAPT
would have been SF 1413, a bill that would haveclarified that a person not authorized to boarda school bus would be guilty of criminaltrespass. Its been disconcerting to hear fromtransportation professionals throughout thestate describe how this is becoming a bigger
problem every year and that bus drivers needto have clear power to prohibit people from
boarding a school bus. Student safety isparamount and with all the crazy going onout there these days, it is really important forbus drivers to have the tools they need to makecertain students are kept safe. This isnt aboutlimiting parents rights. There are proceduresfor parents to meet and ask permission toboard a school bus and going outside of thoseprocedures puts undue pressure on bus drivers
and could conceivably put riders at risk.
This bill passed the Senate easily ounanimous vote of 58-0. Unfortunately, the
did not come up for a final vote on the Hofloor at the end of session as negotiationslarger budget bills took most of the time.bill now heads back to the House Public Saand Crime Prevention Committee, wherpassed easily during the 2015 session. I
guessing that there should be no probgetting the bill back to the House floorhopefully it will come up for a vote relatiearly in the 2016 session.
There were other bills that likewise staincluded incentives for converting bus fleetpropane or natural gas and modifications inprocess used for individuals to receive a schbus endorsement. As in the case SF 1413, th
items seemed to run into a roadblock in onthe legislative bodies and it is expected thawill return to the discussion in 2016.
MAPT continues to look for platform itto pursue in 2016. Governor Dayton will licontinue to push for his universal
kindergarten program and its importanttransportation professionals to weigh in on h
expanding ridershipespecially forkindergarten studentswill presentchallenges. Districts may need to add routepurchase new buses. Some communitieswant 4-year-olds transported on Type A buAs this proposal is discussed, its extremimportant for transportation professionalbe at the table, both at the local and statewlevel.
continued on pag
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Your MAPT Presidents Perspective
First, let me start off by telling you how pleased and proud I am to
have this opportunity to serve as your president of MAPT. After joining
MAPT over 13 years ago, I have developed a sincere appreciation for themembers and committee leaders of this organization. They take a
statewide organization and make it feel like a small community with pride;
and thats what makes MAPT special.
MAPT celebrated its 25th anniversary this summer with the highest
attended Train The Trainer (TTT) seminar in its history. It gave me great
pleasure to see, and meet, all the past presidents who joined us for the
celebration. There was a huge sense of pride from everyone who
attended. I was overwhelmed with the support and encouragement I
received from everyone. We were flooded with volunteers who worked tomake the entire week the best pupil transportation seminar in the upper
Midwest.
I want to give special thanks to Denise Baran and the Pine County
Sheriff s Office for the amazing support and organization in putting
together the mock crash. Without their support, we would not have been
able to put on such an amazing learning opportunity for our industry.
Grand Casino Hinckley Convention Center staff were also on point
with electricians, buildings and grounds, custodians, maintenance, AV
and sound, hospitality and administration. They said yes to all of ourrequests and made the event an overwhelming success.
In addition to Pine County Sheriff and Grand Casino Hinckley, I have
many other community members to thank: firefighters, police, ambulance,
Life Link III, chaplin, students and parents. It was an amazing show of
support for the work that we do.
I am looking forward to meeting many of you through the year, and I
hope your school year is off to a strong start. I am excited about my role
in leading our organization as we collectively strive to become a model of
innovation and educational excellence that other states will want toemulate.
I thank you for this opportunity to serve.
Sincerely,
Derrick Agate Sr.
MAPT President
Derrick Agate
MAPT President
errick was born in Kingston,
maica WI, and came to the Unitedates at the age of 10, graduated fromgh school in 1980, and went tollege in Iowa where he met his wife.
e has been the Manager of ansportation for ISD 270, Hopkins
blic Schools, since 2010. Prior to that,was the Director of Transportation
r ISD 272, Eden Prairie Schools, from02.
errick has been active with MAPT ands been on the Board since 2003, and iso involved in his community as a
ember of several civic organizations.
2-988-4118
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In September, the national association representing state
directors of pupil transportation released the results of its
fifth annual survey on illegal passing of school buses.
In 26 states throughout the country, 20 percent of the
nations school bus drivers participated in a one-day survey
to report how many times motorists passed their stopped
school buses illegally. Over 102,000 school bus drivers
reported that 78,518 vehicles passed their buses illegally on
a single day. Throughout a 180-day school year, these
sample results point to more than 14 million violations by a
portion of Americas motoring public.
We know that students are far safer in school buses, but
when they are outside the bus, they are more vulnerable to
injury or death, said Leon Langley, president of theNational Association of State Directors of Pupil
Transportation Services. There are nearly a half million
school buses on the road each day in the United States.
This survey captured only a fraction of the violations
that bus drivers and traffic officers know all too well are
occurring each and every day, added Langley. Any driver
who passes a stopped school bus illegally is endangering
children and possibly even his or her own future. Trying to
save a few seconds by passing a school bus and hitting a
child can be devastating not only for the victims and theirfamilies, but also for the motorist who will have to live with
the sad consequences.
NASDPTS first coordinated the annual survey in 201
and the results have been unfortunately consistent. In
2011, 76,685 illegal passes were documented during the
one-day survey. In 2012, 88,025 illegal passes were
reported. There were 85,279 in 2013 and 75,966 in 2014
The surveys have helped bring attention to the issue, an
some states have adopted more stringent safety
countermeasures, such as improved motorist education,
increased fines, and more law enforcement, including
increasing use of photo and video evidence from camer
mounted on the sides of school buses. Reducing illegal
passing and ensuring children the safest possible trip to
from school requires a comprehensive approach, involvi
education of students, motorists, and school bus driversfrequent, visible enforcement, and advances in school bu
equipment and other technologies.
The National Association of State Directors of Pup
Transportation Services encourages state directors, local
school districts, law enforcement agencies, legislators, an
Americas motoring public to continue their efforts to so
this ongoing threat to the safety of students.
Complete information on the project, including the
detailed 2015 survey results, can be found atwww.nasdpts.org/stoparm
Illegal Passing Survey Results Shared
It may also be a time to talk about ways to make iteasier for school districts to purchase new buses for their
fleets. The elimination of the bus purchase levy nearlytwenty years ago has surely increased the age of schoolbus fleets throughout the state. Overall funding fortransportation should also be studied. More and moredistricts have growing cross-subsidies from their generalfunds to pay for transportation services. Legislativechanges made the same year as the elimination of the buspurchase levy have put a number of districts at a fundingdisadvantage that needs to be investigated and corrected.
2016 will also be a year in which tax cuts will be
discussed. It may be time to look at the excise tax on fuel
that districts and contractors have to pay on fuel purchasesfor their bus fleets.
If you have ideas, please forward them to LegislativeChair Ron Meyer at [email protected] or me [email protected].
Brad Lundell is the Executive Director of Schools for Equity
in Education, providing executive leadership for a 62-member
consortium of school districts. His main duties include policy
development and legislative communications in effort to ensure
adequate and equitable K-12 funding in Minnesota. For the pas
24 years, he has also served as a contract lobbyist with a variety of
organizations.
Lundell continued from Page 1
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A handy reference tool the DVS uses when accepting self-certification forms
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The 2nd page is a guide for drivers to determine the appropriate category to selec
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By Amy Tiedens
Chair of the MAPT SPED Awards
In April, I had the pleasure (and pressure) of
handing out the MAPT awards to Special Educationschool bus drivers and transportation assistants.
The award is sponsored by the Minnesota Special
Education Transportation Committee, in cooperationwith Minnesota Association of Pupil Transportation.
All of the winners demonstrated a commitmentand dedication to their school districts mission todeliver superior services and patience to every studentthey work with on their school bus. Each awardwinner also displayed their true compassion andprofessionalism toward the students, staff and parentsthey work with as well as the school districts they serve.
Nominations were made by their supervisors andsuperintendents; and members of the MAPT SpecialEducation Transportation Committee judged thesubmitted applications for the drivers and assistants.
We would like to encourage ALL school districtsand bus companies to nominate deserving specialeducation drivers and assistants for the 2016 awards.
Congratulations to each 2015 award winner!
Presenting the 2015 MAPT Special Education
Bus Driver and Bus Assistant Award Recipients
lefttoright:ShawnMcNeilan
,OsseoTransportationSuper
visor;OsseoAssistants:
DianeErickson,RichardPyr
d,PeggyKrostag;andTroyS
chreifels,Assistant
TransportationDirectorforO
sseo.
lefttoright:TimSchubert;Ji
mThomas,TrobecsBusof
St
Cloud;andBethanySchuber
t.
Special Education Bus Drivers:
1st place Jim Thomas
Trobecs Bus, St. Cloud2nd place Evelyn Brainard
White Bear Lake Schools3rd place Norman Raymond
District 287 Shuttle Driver,contracted by Bloomington Schools
Special Education Bus Assistants:
1st place Diane Erickson
Osseo Schools2nd place Virginia Johnson
Anderson Bus, Shakopee3rd place Peggy Krostag
Osseo Schools
We proudly present ourwinners for 2015!
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Taking a Look Around Our Area...
Due to the nature of the both the Safety Committee
and Special Transportation Committee, there was a strongfeeling that both meetings could, and would, benefitattendees from both groups.
With that in mind, the meeting structure for 2015-2016will be different than in the past. All meetings will runfrom 10 am to noon and are open to drivers, trainers,supervisors, dispatchers, and bus paras.
October 21st, 2015
Department of Public Safety
1110 Centre Pointe Curve Suite 410
Mendota Heights
November 18, 2015
Holdingford Schools900 5th Street - Holdingford
December 16, 2015
Randolph Public Schools
January 20th, 2016
Brooklyn Center High School6500 Humboldt Avenue North - Brooklyn CenterParking is available in the East lot by the tennis courtsEnter the building at door E23 As we did last year,breakfast will be provided prior to the safety meetingfor those attending.
February 17th, 2016
Osseo Schools11200 93rd Ave N - Maple Grove
Board Room
March 16th, 2016
Cleveland Public Schools400 6th Street - Cleveland
AprilNo meetings
May 18th, 2016
MDE1500 Hwy 36 W - Roseville
Sped Meetings:
New locations. New times. New structure.
By Nick Klaseus
Region 2 Director
It seems school just ended and here we are back for another yeaWe had five weeks this summer that we didnt have to transpo
students. A seemingly small window to ensure our buses and Type IIwould be ready for the next school year.
All of our drivers took part in the driver training that was offere
Much of the material covered was received from attending TTIt was another excellent week of presentations, discussions, hands-learning and networking.
Here in outstate Cleveland, MN we are also faced with a drivshortage. A few years back, our drivers consisted of farmers, semretired and retired men and women. Today we have fewer farmers, aWal-Mart, Burger King, trucking firms and every business in betweis looking for help. Its hard to find anyone to help with transportatio
What will happen when there is no room on a bus for mostudents, the routes get too long, there are no substitutes and weexhausted all options? I dont have the answer to these questions. I
know most everyone involved with student transportation also hthese questions - and more - on their minds.
Checking In from Region 2Important Regional
Meeting Update
Many of our members have expressedthey will not attend the Fall 2015 Regionalmeetings this year due in part to some
much needed time off over MEA.This years regional meetings will be
held as a part of the joint Safety and SpecialTransportation meeting on October 21st,
2015 at the Department of Public Safety,1110 Centre Pointe Curve Suite 410 inMendota Heights.
For questions, please contact yourRegional Director:
Amy Tiedens - 763-550-7132
Nicole Carlen - 320-286-4100
Kurt Osweller - 218-463-1942
Nick Klaseus - 507-931-5456
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School Bus Safety
By Keith Paulson
Transportation Director
Anoka-Hennepin Schools
Having an efficient transportation system helps ensure asmany students as possible are safely transported to and fromschool on school buses. When school districts look to cutcosts, many have made the decision to have a Fee forService for students they are not required to transport by law.Many of these students, who now have to pay a fee, do notuse bus service. It is my belief that being efficient withresources provides more students the opportunity to be on
the safest form of land transportation there is: a school bus.Note that when making each decision regarding a bus stoplocation or seating capacity - safety alwaystrumps efficiency.
Regular School Bus Route Efficiency
There are a number of items that can make school busrouting efficient or inefficient. These elements provide theframework that will help routing staff, parents, and school
administrators to plan, review, and respond to safety andefficiency issues. These major areas are:
1. School Attendance Boundaries - determine whichElementary, Middle, or High School students will attend.
The purpose of these areasis so that no two buses servicing thesame grade level, but from different schools, travel the sameroadways.Take away - Tight, contiguous boundaries closer tothe schools students attend means better efficiency.
2. School Bell Times - School start and dismissal times -Having the Transportation Department recommend belltimes allows for efficient use of buses so that they can servemore than one set of schools usually 2-4 schools in amorning and 2-4 schools again in the afternoon.Take away - Bell times allow buses to serve one school and
recover in time for another school and another (three-tiersystem). This provides the best use of buses and funding sothat more District dollars are focused on the classroom.
3. The Distance Students Walk to the Bus Stop - A shorterdistance from home to the bus stop may provide conveniencefor the individual parent/student. However, closer bus stopsmean more bus stops per route, which will significantlyincrease the time each school bus needs to pick up its students.Further, maximum ride-times may be exceeded and each bus
will not be able to serve as many schools.Take away - Thelonger home to stop walk distances allow buses to travel
through one neighborhood into another neighborhorder to fully utilize the capacity of the bus.
4. The Maximum Ride-Time for Students - A shotime for students reduces the buss ability to fully utseating capacity. If the geography is such that a busbe filled to capacity in the allotted time, full utilizatibuss seating capacity will not be achieved and the transport each student will increase.Take away - Aride-time allows buses to serve more neighborhooutilize the full capacity of the bus, thus lowering the
transportation for each student.
5. Maximum Number of Students per Bus
information is for route coordinators to use as a tarfor parents and the public to know what is allowed. Eis 39 wide and can hold up to three students, meaallotment of 13 inches per student. The issue seating capacities change for the age group the bus
Three per seat may be fine for elementary studenmiddle and high school students need additional sporder to make sure that each student is properly protethe compartmentalization the seat provides, it is imthat each grade level capacity is well-considered.
One district uses the following for a 77 passenge
Elementary School maximum load 69Middle School maximum load 64
High School maximum load 54
The work to arrive at the actual number of riderscheduled number of riders can be achieved by knowpercentage of students actually riding your school buinstance, we know that only 40% of scheduled highstudents actually ride the bus from one of our high
Based on this information we schedule an overloastudents) knowing that the actual ridership will stay bemaximum target load of 54. This same method is uelementary and middle school routes.
Note - while we are very confident of our percentanumbers, we also hire a few extra buses for the first fewof school to help with any overloads or schissues. Over the last few years, we have not had to adto deal with overloads. Take away - Scheduling
passengers up to the maximum capacity allowed, wgoing over, allows for more efficient use of seating c
What does routing efficiency have to do with i
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A Silver Anniversary for the Record BooksBy Ray Kroll
TTT Coordinator Emeritus
The 25th Anniversary of the Minnesota School Bus
Driver Trainer Seminars is now history. If anyone were to
ask a quarter of a century ago where the TTT
Jumping Bus would be in 2015, I doubt that any of theplayers could have imagined the impact of this profoundly
professional training package.
In 1990, State Department of Education
Transportation Director Len Nachman advanced his
vision of a comprehensive training program for school
bus driver trainers. With no dedicated state resources,
pupil transportation professionals from across the state
collaborated to develop training programs that facilitated
hands on training using the Minnesota School Bus Driver
Training Development Series. Gratitude for thedevelopment of the Train The Trainer Seminars goes to
many of our past leaders: Jim DeVeau, "School Bus Bob"
Larsen, Carl Neuman, Bill Stanley, Tom Rasset, Dr. Rod
Dobey, and Jeff Mueller.
After 12 years at the St. Cloud Holiday Inn, MAPT Past
President Dean Krause was instrumental in urging me to
move the TTT Seminars to the Hinckley Conference
Center. Before leaving St. Cloud, MAPT Treasurer Greg
Liedl came on board to bring the TTT registration process
to a higher level. We must be grateful to Greg for the
dynamic changes that he brought to TTT with vivid
graphic signage and the flashing bus which became a
hallmark welcome to all TTT participants.
Kala Henkensiefken's organizational skills, together
with her leadership in the area of special needs
transportation, has provided an essential training
component. By attracting national speakers like Dr. Linda
Bluth, Peggy Burns, Cal Lemon and Dick Fischer; trainers
and transportation directors and supervisors have
enhanced their professional training.
The history of the TTT in St. Cloud would not be
complete without referencing our use of the St. Cloud
Traffic Safety Training Center where the late Larry Oulette
and his team allowed TTT participants to experience the
dynamics of vehicle performance in skid tests and
serpentine maneuvering. They even coaxed a somewhat
nave Cindy Johnson to wear out a set of sport sedan tires.
For three years, Dave Delmonico provided the
necessary spark to assist in the development of the annual
TTT training agenda. The Minnesota School Bus
Mechanic Association came on board; and, this year
conducted three days of training assisted by school bus
body and chassis manufacturers.
The trade show in 2015 occupied space along the main
corridor of the Hinckley Conference Center and was wel
received for its contributions to the overall success.Cindy McKay has visually promoted the School Bus
Safety Poster Contest along with capturing a visual history
of past TTT programs. Her registration skills have been
augmented by assistance from Tasha Shiffler. Kristin
Johnson and Kevin Stormer are recognized for their
efforts in dispatcher training and lodging logistics.
Over the years, TTT support from the law
enforcement community has been essential to its success
This Silver Anniversary year was no exception. In fact, the
TTT team of exceptional staffers pulled out all the stopsTwo years in planning, the leadership of MAPT Presiden
Derrick Agate Sr. and Denny Coughlin - who has
instructed more than 190 fire and rescue teams
throughout the United States - resulted in the Mock
Crash: Cottonwood Bus Tragedy Reenactment. Presenters
included the Pine County Emergency Management and
EMS teams.
On Thursday afternoon, Lakewood Schoo
Superintendent Sheldon Johnson presented
LEADERSHIP IN A TIME OF CHAOS. to a record
gathering of Minnesota and surrounding state pupi
transportation professionals. An impact panel discussion
moderated by Lt. Brian Reu, Minnesota State Patro
Director of Pupil Transportation Safety, was followed
with a wrap-up session by the Minnesota State Agency
School Emergency Support Team.
On Friday Morning, Sergeant Lance Langford, Crash
Reconstruction Coordinator for the Minnesota State
Patrol, provided insight to the crash reconstruction
processes followed by the Patrol in the event of schoo
bus crash.
I know that I have overlooked mention of countless
individuals who have contributed to the success of the
Minnesota School Bus Driver Train The Trainer
Instructor Seminars. Know that I am truly grateful for
your assistance and inspiration in the development of one
of our country's premier pupil transportation safety
training programs.
With the grace of God, I pray that the TTT future
continues to flourish and enlighten our industry.
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for your students for your colleagues for your profession for yourselfBecome a member of MAPT today
www.mnapt.org
The official Minnesota StPatrol colors went from gray ablack to maroon and gold in 1934the same year the Minnesota GoldGophers went undefeated and wthe Big Ten National Colle
Football Championship.We have the only highway pat
in the country whose colors maroon and gold.
Did you know...
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Lt. Brian Reu
Minnesota State Patrol
State Director of Pupil Transportation
By now the anxiety and anticipation of what the start of a
new school year brings has hopefully worn off and things are
running smoothly for each of you. Im sure the past few weeks
have not been without their challenges, but hopefully you were
able to meet them head on and move forward. With that said,
I hope you have not settled into a routine.
Over the last couple of months we have had the opportunity
to get out and conduct presentations for many of you and your
drivers. While there were some long days and many miles put on
by those of us in the Office of Pupil Transportation Safety;
we find the startup meetings very beneficial.
This year we conducted 64 presentations to a total of 3,239
drivers in August and September alone.
The main thing I hope your drivers realized was our
appreciation and respect for the job they do and the efforts they
make to keep school buses the safest mode of student
transportation. We want your drivers to view us as a resource so
they can feel confident that they have the information they need
to do their jobs on a daily basis.
Secondly, I hope your drivers left realizing the importance
of not becoming complacent. Sure most drivers have the samevehicle, route and kids each day, but you need to approach each
day and stop with the same intensity and diligence as the first.
The recent tragedy in California in which a student died after
being left on a school bus is an example of the potential
consequences of our actions or lack thereof.
From the pre-trip to the post-trip, you need to be 100%
engaged in your duties. Your students and their parents are
counting on you!
Thank you again for what you do.
Stay safe and stay aware.
Complacency
January 15-16, 2016
St Paul RiverCentre
The School Bus Safety Expo brings togeth
transportation directors, school administratoschool bus company owners as well transportation management and staff.
Last year, over 300 school bus industofficials came to St. Paul in order to kethemselves up to date with the latest industinformation and regulations. This tradeshoincluded 30 vendors displaying the latest angreatest technologies and products, including
indoor display of new buses from IC, Thom
and Bluebird, as well as used buses.This is an event not to be misseVendor information, as well as accommodatioand more can be found under the UpcomiEvents tab on MSBOAs website.
Mark YourCalendar!
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