ROUNDTABLE

DISCUSSION –

TRANSPORTATION

ISSUES WITH

REOPENING SCHOOLS

Presenters: Karen Smith, CPA, RTSBA, CIAKayne Smith, Ed.D.Mike Martin, NAPT

• Brief presentation regarding what is being done at the national level and Cypress-Fairbanks

ISD’s evaluation of transportation options to accommodate state and CDC guidelines

• Potential costs to consider

• Roundtable discussion regarding:✓ Plans to accommodate CDC and state guidelines for safe transportation of students

✓ PPE for drivers and students

✓ Alterations to bus interiors

✓ How food service will continue when transportation is limited

✓ How bus and bell schedules will impact each other

✓ Other transportation challenges

Agenda

Potential Costs to

Consider

Potential Costs 2020-2021

• PPE for staff/students

• Increased cleaning costs

• Hand sanitizer

• Thermometers and other health

screening

• Bus aides for screening

• More buses/leasing of buses

• Increased costs due to demand

• More preventative maintenance

• Revised bus schedules

✓ Fuel

✓ Drivers/aides

✓ Expanded learning opportunities

• Increase in substitute drivers

• Staff development on CDC safety

guidelines

• Lost state funding if required to

close schools

• After participating in numerous webinars as presenters, panel participants

and listeners, the STARTS team identified a number of common questions

and comments and therefore designed the following approach to address

them:

• First, we have developed a short-list of viable scheduling options for the

reopening of schools. These range from utilizing 100% remote learning to

starting school as normal.

• If a district applies social distancing to the educational environment, then

there are a multitude of split schedule or hybrid scheduling options that need

to be evaluated.

Background

• Second, the STARTS Task Force is compiling a master set of

federal, state and local recommendations that relate to:

✓ Facilities;

✓ Vehicles;

✓ Driver and Student Safety;

✓ Management and Operations (particularly routing and scheduling); and

✓ Communication (including advocacy and public relations)

Background

• Third, we are conducting a variety of surveys to collect

information from relevant stakeholders.

• Finally, this data will be compiled in a matrix that will enable a

school transportation service provider to utilize its geographic

and demographic circumstance in concert with its preferred

scheduling option and routing options (3/2/1 tiers) to quickly and

easily determination how each recommendation applies (or does

not apply) to its individual circumstance.

Background

STARTS Structure

• WEEK 1: Alignment, Develop Survey Content and V1 of the Master List of

Guidelines & Practices

• WEEK 2: Survey Distribution, Daily Review of Results and Preliminary

Version of the Master List

• WEEK 3: Sort Guideline & Identify Essential Practices by Type of District and

Tier Structure, Finalize Master List

• WEEK 4: Development of Draft Findings and Results, Report Framework

• WEEK 5: Development, Review and Release of Final Report

STARTS Timeline

Transportation

Reopening

Plan

Overview of Scenarios

Fleet Capacities

2019-2020 Route Summary

2019-2020 Route Summary:

Two students per seat/47 students per bus

2019-2020 Route Summary:

One student per seat/24 students per bus

2019-2020 Route Summary:

Current Texas Guidelines – 12 students per bus

Capabilities Using Current Resources/Schedules

Totals based on current runs that include single and double routes (out of area and larger attendance zones)

• It is important to note that due to state and federal laws and regulations regarding special education, to continue transporting all special education students, resources will need to be transferred from general-education transportation, which will result in further decreases of services for general-education students.

• Blended Scenario (Mon/Tues – Thurs/Fri) or a sub-tier bell schedule would be the only options for 1-student per seat (24)

• Blended Scenario and suggested sub-tier bell schedule would be the only option for 1-student alternating seats (12)

2020-2021 Plans and Scenarios

Student

Safety

• Fog buses daily

• Spray Quat256 on high-touch areas (seats/handrails) after each run

• Hand sanitizer dispensers on each bus

✓ Installed on bus by loading door

(Expected to use upon loading and unloading)

• Social distancing (based CDC/state guidelines)

• Seating arrangements

✓ First students to load on bus sit in back, filling

seats towards front of bus

✓ Students in front unload first

✓ Prevents students from passing one another while

loading/unloading

✓ Loading at campus?

Employee

Safety

• All safety protocols established by CFISD currently in place in all five transportation centers

• Current 2020-2021 plan for employees:

✓ Employees will not enter building (except by appointment only and to use restroom maintaining social distancing and following PPE guidelines)

✓ Employees will be screened in the parking stalls by transportation personnel

✓ Hand sanitizer dispensers on each bus

✓ Employees will clock-in and out on bus

✓ All necessary items will be placed on bus prior to driver departing (keys, route sheets, necessary documents, etc.)

✓ Employee meetings and trainings will occur through Zoom and Infinit-I when applicable

Traditional - 24

Students per

Bus

• Project 100% increase in need for secondary runs and 155.8% increase in elementary runs if no changes are made to current schedules

• Total estimated school bus routes: 1,497

• Total estimated MPV routes: 104✓ Do not have enough buses to

accommodate this model

✓ Many schools will not have the loading zones to support this number of buses

Traditional - 12

Students per

Bus (current

state guidelines)

• General education – 12 students per bus✓ 1 student per row,

alternating sides (approximate 6-foot

distance)

• Special education – 5 students per bus

✓ 4 walk-ons

✓ 1 wheelchair

2020-2021

Routing Plan

• Routing will be planned based on overestimates, not underestimates

• Previously, Transportation would add routes to alleviate overloads and time concerns

• For 2020-2021, Transportation will route based on high estimates and will consolidate and condense where possible

• This will allow for more flexibility and reduced cases of buses being over determined capacities

Student

Registration for

Bus

• Students will be required to register to ride the bus

✓ Registration available online or on campus (registrars)

✓ Information will feed into Transfinder and Zonar (will know if student is not registered when they scan on the bus)

✓ Register by August 10, 2020 to ride on August 24, 2020

✓ May take up to 10 business days if register during school year

▪ May impact routes – may need to add bus depending on ridership numbers

• Student will be removed from ridership list if have not used school bus in ten (10) business days

Unknowns

• New state or CDC guidelines in July?

• Percentage of students returning to school in August

• Percentage of students continuing to utilize bus service (for the 2019-2020 school year 70% of CFISD students rode the school bus)

• Expectations of students ✓ Face coverings

✓ Health screenings

• In an effort not to cut service and utilize Transportation Department resources effectively, it is recommended to utilize a three-tier model with staggered arrival and departure times (subtiers).

• Tiers will be developed based on size of school attendance zone

• Students may have 30 minutes of “targeted instruction time” before or after school, depending on which “subtier” the student’s bus is assigned.

• Three tiers will remain in effect and will be communicated to the general public in this model

• Tiers are built with 30 minutes of additional instructional time (7.5 hour day) with an additional 30 minutes (before or after school) of “targeted instruction time” dependent on student’s subtier assignment

Recommendation

Sub-Tier Schedule

• Tier one: 7:15 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.

Tier 1A: 6:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.

Tier 1B: 7:15 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.

• Tier two: 8:05 a.m. – 3:35 p.m.

Tier 2A: 7:50 a.m. – 3:35 p.m.

Tier 2B: 8:05 a.m. – 4:05 p.m.

• Tier three: 8:55 a.m. – 4:25 p.m.

Tier 3A: 8:25 a.m. – 4:25 p.m.

Tier 3B: 8:55 a.m. – 4:55 p.m.

Benefits

Roundtable

Discussion/Questions?

Presenter Contact Information

Kayne Smith

Director of Transportation

Cypress-Fairbanks ISD

Kayne.smith@cfisd.net

346-205-8434

Mike Martin

Executive Director

National Association of

Pupil Transportation

Mike.martin@napt.org

518-452-3613

Karen Smith

Chief Financial Officer

Cypress-Fairbanks ISD

Karen.smith1@cfisd.net

281-897-4587