During the 1995-96 school year, the Savannah-Chatham County (Georgia) Public Schools averaged 800 daily telephone complaints about transportation. Applying total-quality-management principles improved client satisfaction via a Pareto problem analysis chart, a customer response data-collection team, and driver teams who strategized ways to reduce…

The conscientious transportation director knows that self-directed evaluations are one of the most effective ways to effect improvements in job performance. This article presents nine test situations based on pupil transportation directors' actual experiences. Analysis and answers are provided. (MLH)

The Cobb County (Georgia) School District, which transports 61,000 students to 88 schools on 763 buses daily, avidly studied privatization possibilities. Since the bus fleet is relatively new and drivers' wages compare favorably with metropolitan Atlanta's, the district concluded it could transport students better and more cheaply. A sidebar lists…

Explains how the use of lifts, restraints, and movable seating on school buses helps schools provide safe transportation to students with special needs. The importance of air conditioning for students with respiratory problems, particularly as the schools expand their summer courses, is highlighted. (GR)

Argues that school districts should adopt diversified education programs selected for their conceptual strengths and evidence of effectiveness. (PKP)

This report describes statistical indicators developed by the Council of the Great City Schools and its member districts to measure big-city school performance on a range of operational functions in business, finance, human resources and technology. The report also presents data city-by-city on those indicators. This is the second time that…

A new method of bus route scheduling uses aerial photography and computer data analysis. Maps generated in this manner can be used with other information to study housing/population patterns, attendance boundaries, and the like. (Author/IRT)

A study to assess whether the school bus speed limit should be changed in Virginia is described in this report. The relationship between the safety characteristics of Virginia's three-tiered speed limit system and school bus operation is examined to determine the optimal level of safety for school bus travel. Virginia allows the following three…

The booklet presents recommendations from an Illinois task force on procedures for transporting special education students to and from public schools. An introductory chapter considers eligibility for special transportation services and suggests the types of information that should be involved in the decision. Desirable vehicle characteristics,…

This manual provides school bus drivers and school officials with pertinent material relating to safe and efficent school transportation. Chapter I presents the laws governing pupil transportation. Oregon motor vehicle laws are identified by an ORS (Oregon Revised Statute) number, and pupil transportation regulations are identified by an OAR…

The computerization of school bus maintenance records by the Niskayuna (New York) Central School District enabled the district's transportation department to engage in management practices resulting in significant savings. The district obtains computer analyses of the work performed on all vehicles, including time spent, parts, labor, costs,…

The Alaska State Board of Education has adopted the national "Minimum Standards for School Buses, 1970 Revised Edition." The purpose of this document is to specify school bus minimum standards for Alaska that are in addition to the national standards. All regular school buses must comply with applicable federal motor vehicle safety…

This report outlines the process and events related to the implementation of a new student bus transportation contract system for New York City schools and presents data on numbers of vehicles used, number of students transported, and costs. The revised system, which sought to attract new companies to the school bus transportation business, is…

The speaker, a school board attorney, outlines four legal problems he has had to deal with. The cases concern teacher dismissal, the district's responsibility in the case of "hazardous transportation," school district purchases for student activities (student photographs), and school bus leasing. (IRT)

The New Paltz, New York, school district has used the IBM Vehicle Scheduling Program (VSP) for scheduling its bus runs. In the process the district has reduced its transportation costs by 33.9 percent over a two-year period. (IRT)