The Saga of the Shirts

Every year, we give our drivers a small token of appreciation.

This year we wanted to present them with company logowear.  It's been three years since we gave them Opening Day shirts - brightly colored logowear that would quickly identify them to students as a trusted member of our staff. 

Cute, no?

 

While the brilliant orange functioned well as staff identification, it isn't the most wearable color in the world.

The logo is one we designed to use in our Premier Driver Recognition program, and we wanted it to be unique to that program.

So for this project, we wanted something more subtle, wearable in at least three seasons, in a color more complextion-friendly.  We searched for a t-shirt weight, long-sleeved hoodie we could screen print with a more retro-style logo than we've had in the past.  I also wanted the option for women to have shirts made for, well, women.

No luck.  Apparently hoods eat the budget quickly. 

We opted instead for a t-shirt weight, long-sleeved shirt with the retro logo.

The logo looks pretty cool, I think, though maybe the oval around the logo should be thicker. 

But there were a few problems with our order.  First, the shirts are all short-sleeved.  Then half of them came with the old embroidered logo.  Finally, some of them were damaged in the embroidery process, so there weren't enough.

I'm sad we couldn't give our drivers a uniform gift.  I'll grit my teeth every time I see one of the shirts, knowing they are not what I ordered. 

The saga of the shirts is not over yet.  I'm determined to get our drivers a long-sleeved shirt with the retro logo! 

Hoods would be an added bonus!

Safe Driving!

Kari

A World of Budget Cuts

I don't really know what the political world has to say about today's economy.  At this time of the year, we're often too busy to watch the news. 

I do know quite a bit about how the economy and last year's contract negotiation impact our business.

In a world where not everyone can find a good job and banks are less likely to lend money, we too are faced with budget cuts again this year.  We've been making budget cuts fairly continuously for the last twelve years.

As a result, for the first time since I've worked here, we've been forced to make tough staffing cuts for budget reasons.  It's not the first time we've eliminated staff positions; in the past we've reduced staff by opting not to replace people leaving for other employment and we've never been afraid to eliminate substandard employees.  This year, we've cut people and we've cut hours.

Still, with a successful start to the school year, the cuts we've made have not impacted our committment to safety and to customer service.

Though there are fewer people, there is not less work to do.  Everyone still needs to get home everyday in safe vehicles.  Each of our staff members has had to assume more daily work in order to continue to serve our community well.

This year, we're trying something new.  Each person working in the office has a series of tent signs she will use to indicate availability.

When "Open For Questions" the staff member is fully available to assist with route questions, trip directions, copier use, and other general questions.  When the sign reads "Please Do Not Disturb" the staff member is working on a task requiring greater than average concentration, and we ask that you really "Do Not Disturb" the staff member (even a quick "hello" can sometimes result in distraction).  When the staff member leaves her desk, she will incidate on the "Back At _____" what time she will be back.

Each staff member has been assigned specific hours during which she must be "Open for Questions."  Jami's "Open" time is in the early morning and midday.  Rachel's "Open" time is after 2 pm.  Shelley's "Open" time varies based on which week is a payroll week. 

We ask that our remaining staff honor the new sign requests.  We will modifiy the "Open" hours as needed.

Oh That Nasty Language!

We continue to receive reports about nasty language on secondary buses. 

Please encourage your students to use appropriate language while riding the bus, including when they ride for sports and activities.

Bus drivers have a difficult time "catching" students using inappropriate language.  The bus design contributes to the problem; the engine is usually just to the right of the bus driver and the acoustic ceilings draw noise up and away from the driver to the ceiling of the bus (important for bus drivers trying to hear traffic and train noises outside the bus).  Generally, older students sit in the rear of the bus, and, generally, older students have the least regard for appropriate language.

When your student is having a problem or feeling stressed by the language or conversation on the bus, call us.  While we may have some difficulty simply executing a discipline referral for misbehavior when the bus driver has not witnessed the behavior, we are happy to take a report and submit it to the school for additional assitance. 

Tomorrow, we expect students to hear from one of the high school administrators about language on the bus.  We hope it helps!

Safe Driving!
Kari

Week Two Tasks: Evacs and Seating Charts

Bus Evacuations
Today marks the beginning of the offical school bus safety training schedule.

We lead off with evacuations at the High School this morning at 9:10.  All students load the buses.  Drivers explain the evacuation process, and the students proceed to evacuate using the rear emergency door of the bus.

The process is something of a joke for High School students.  They don't understand the potential for dangerous events on a school bus.  Though they may not take the evacuation entirely seriously, they are getting practical experience getting off the bus quickly and safely.  They also have the opportunity to witness the operation of a two-way radio and the location of the belt cutter. 

While students see the drill as an escape fom the daily routine, for bus drivers it's something else entirely; an opportunity to practice a simple life-preserving process with students.

We're glad our district performs the drills regularly.

Seating Assignments
Behind-the-scenes, drivers work hard the second week of school to complete Seating Charts.

Our contract with the school district requires assigned seating on buses.

Assigned seats:

• mean every student has a place to go, so loading occurs more efficiently than when they have to search for seats;
• keep students separated by age and experience so the youngest students are not socialized with the older students; 
• help keep the bus in better repair; when a student is "responsible" for a seat, s/he tends not to tear tape or poke holes in the seat;
• separate students who have trouble sitting near each other;
• assist the bus driver with student recognition and route planning.

We follow some basic "rules" for seating charts.  For example younger students must be seating in the front of the bus (both Kindergarten and sixth grade students qualify as "younger" students).  Middle School students must sit forward of seat 16; High School students must seat behind seat 16.  In certain circumstances, students are exempt from being assigned a seat.  One such circumstance occurs when a large number of students is on the bus less than ten minutes (Middle School students who live in large housing developments near the High School qualify).

As always, we encourage parents to call when there is an issue with a seating arrangement.  We'll make changes to accomodate your requests and help your student have a better ride to and from school.

Safe Driving!
Kari

And 2010-11 Begins with Tags and Bags

Every year we're excited when school starts.  Tired too.  The last few weeks of summer, especially the days following Open Houses, are extremely busy at any bus company.  They are especially busy at our company because of the extra things we do for students.

Over the years, I've observed problems specific to school transportation.  The biggest obstacle to any transportation program involving students is the youth and inexperience of our youngest riders.  These five-year old first-time commuters face a daunting challenge the moment they approach the bus for their first bus ride:  the huge stairs lead them on board a vehicle driven by a Stranger.  They're brave little souls; not many of them hesitate very long when it's time to take those huge steps.  Of course it helps that many of them participate in our pre-school year Kindergarten Count-Down during which they get an opportunity to take a first ride with their parents and teachers.

We face an even bigger challenge: efficiently transporting these young students to and from home without flaw when we don't yet know their names and haven't yet mastered which one belongs where. It would be enough of a challenge if every student went to the same stop every day, but they don't.  Many of them have home and daycare options and others have Mom's home and Dad's home options. 

There was a breaking moment for me.  I was in the loading zone at an elementary school one afternoon and a young man didn't know what to do.  He wasn't sure which bus to ride, we didn't yet know his name, and he looked scared.  I asked him his name and he started to cry.  It was all I could do not to sit down next to him and cry too.  We found out who he was and got him on the correct bus and he made it home safely - as is usually the case.  But I left the loading zone determined to find a better solution, and we have.

Each of our Kindergarten students will receive a tag tomorrow in their Kindergarten classroom.  On the tag is a picture of the student requested last spring at Kindergarten Round-Up and again at Kindergarten Count-Down.  The student's first and last name, teacher's name, drop-off location, and bus number also appear on the tag. 

Since we've been using the tags, we've increased our success with Kindergarten students a hundred fold.  Now when I need to communicate with one of these small people, I take a quick peek at the tag.  Addressing them by name immediately calms their fears.  After all, they must think, "If she knows my name, she probably knows where I go."  We haven't had anymore tears in the loading zones!

This year, we're extending our tag system to older elementary students.  For the first week of school, students will be required to wear a tag with their pm bus number on it.  The bus drivers will check the tags as they enter the buses.  Any student without a tag will be sent to an adult for bus number verification before entering the bus. 

And if the tag is incorrect?  Well, at least when we look up the student's name in our database we will all know the student is on the listed bus or no bus at all.  Makes things far more organized and simple at the end of those first days of school.

Our middle school students are each assigned a Magic Moments teacher, and that teacher will have a list of their bus numbers and a map of the parking order.  They're too old for labels, but still confused at the end of the day when they walk out to the loading zone and see 18 buses, all yellow and black.  It's enough to make anyone forget a number!

Our high school students don't really think about the bus until it's time to board it the first afternoon.  We've tried a new process this year; we emailed the school principals a list that can be forwarded to their teachers to check bus numbers near the end of the day - and included a copy of the parking map.

We hope we've covered the bases. 

One final note:  buses will run late the first couple days of school.  There are lots of reasons for it - in the morning parents want to take pictures and give lingering hugs; in the afternoon we spend a little extra time in loading zones making sure everyone gets on the right bus and at bus stops making sure everyone gets off at the right stops.  Please be patient.  We'll get there!

Safe Driving!
Kari

You Can Expect!

We challenge you this year to hold us to high standards!

Expect that we will communicate with you to the best of our ability.

Expect us to partner with you when we encounter behavior problems.

Expect us to be punctual.

Expect us to care for your child like you do.

Expect us to listen when you have a concern. 

Expect us to be appreciative when you have a compliment.

The rest of your expectations go without saying:  expect us to hire professional, safe, courteous drivers.  Expect us to serve our community when and how we can.  Expect us, always, to be the best we can be everyday.  Expect us to always strive for excellence - not mere compliance.

Safe Driving!
Kari

We're Moving... HERE

As posted on our original blog at blog.hoglundtransportation.com, we're moving our daily activity to this new site.  The final entry at the original site reads as follows:

We're moving our blog.  Though it's nice to own the blog, we've found blogspot to be a more friendly interface. Since we're planning on adding a few more authors to the site, ease of use is a big issue! We've moved most of our blogposts to the new site and designed a friendly, professional site. We'd love to hear what you think, so come visit us at www.hoglundblog.blogspot.com. Become a follower to keep up-to-date with transportation issues here in Monticello school district.

The blogger sites, ones that contain the "blogspot.com" title, are so easy to use, and that's important when we want to post regularly.  To become a follower, click on the "Subscribe To" buttons and enter your information.  You might also like to use the RSS feeds to get the updates directly in your email program.

Ever wondered anything about school buses or transportation?  Send a note!  We'd be happy to include answers right in this blog.

Safe Driving!

Kari

Guide to Appropriate Bus Driver Attire

Please refer to this completely hand-created dress code guide when preparing for work each morning. Keep in mind that attire sporting emblems or advertising for alcoholic beverages, drugs or other controlled substances, sexual innuendo, or other inappropriate message will not be allowed while transporting students or while operating as an agent of our company.

To the public: please let us know if one of our employees arrives at your stop inappropriately attired. We will address the situation immediately and appreciate your assistance.

Safe Driving!

Kari

Bus Seat Damage

Driving my second route for this school year - not a bad record considering how horrible employee attendance has been this year - I was dismayed to see the state of the seats on our school buses.

Why are students making holes in the seat covers?

Why are they making the holes bigger and bigger?

Why are they taking the foam padding out of the seats?

We need a cure for this problem! It's expensive and potentially dangerous. If there's no padding in a seat designed to cushion students in an accident, how can they be cushioned?

I do not believe the damage is done by students with evil intentions. But the students inflicting the damage are clearly not demonstrating respect for the bus either.

I think parents can help us with our bus seat damage problem.

Talk to students about their bus. Remind them that the bus is designed to be a safe environment; it's actually the second safest form of ground transportation (second only to elevators, incidentally). Ask them to respect the bus.

I've heard some interesting parent perspectives when I've sent bills for bus seat damage to students. Keep this one fact in mind: students do not have the right to damage bus seats because transportation in Monticello is funded by tax dollars!

Safe Driving!

Kari

Preliminary Route Schedules Ready

For the last several years, we've been collecting data from parents by sending home a form containing student information and asking parents to return the form. We made the necessary changes to our database and then sent postcards to each family in mid-August at considerable cost. And we've discovered that by the time school starts the information on the postcards is usually obsolete.

Last August we added two additional notifications, one at Open House and another on the first day of school. Why twice? Between Open House and the start of school we entered more than 2,700 changes to our database. Some of those changes were for custody reasons, others for daycare changes, and still others because families moved to new addresses.

We're trying something new this year. The last week of school we will send home next year's preliminary route information with next year's 1-12 students. (Kindergarten students will receive a letter when they get their introductory letters from their teachers.) We hope the new schedule will remind parents to contact us to make changes for the reasons noted in the last paragraph. We also hope to hear from the parents who have students moving to a new school and are now walkers at that school. We think it will be nice for them to get the heads-up about that significant change sooner rather than later, and it's easier for us to manage the phone calls when it's not quite as busy as it gets in August.

Because bus numbers may change (for capacity reasons) and time schedules change (students may be added or deleted or need to be in a different location, etc.), we plan to prepare and disperse actual route information at this year's Open Houses. Students in grades K-5 will find letters in their classrooms. Students in the Middle School will find letters with their Magic Minutes advisors. High School students will be able to check their information in alphabetical lists located in Main Street during Open House.

If we don't solve the problem and need to make significant changes to routes between Open House and the start of school, we will prepare additional letters and get them to teachers to disperse on the first day. We hope our new system precludes the need to send additional letters on the first day.

We do like to receive changes in some sort of written form. To make changes, email us at jami@hoglundtransportation.com, FAX us at 763.295.0055, write us at PO Box 70, Monticello MN 55362-0070, or click the "Contact Us" button on our website at http://www.hoglundtransportation.com/.

Safe Driving!
Kari

School Bus Drivers Needed

We've been working on routes and budgets for the next school year for about a month. This is the time of year when we think about what we didn't like about the current year or what we think we could improve next year.

Part of our process includes communicating with current drivers about their plans for the upcoming school year. Each driver has the opportunity to indicate whether he or she will return in the fall and a few other pieces of information (Want to keep your current bus? Current high school route? Current elementary route? Want to drive a midday route?).

This year we were most disappointed with driver attendance.

There are 174 days in the school year. That's less than half a year. We need drivers who can commit to driving 174 days.

Interested?

Stop in for a visit. We train our applicants to competency, arrange required testing, and fully qualify each driver, at no charge to the applicant.

In addition to the requisite safe driving practice, we ask only that each new employee commit to driving 174 days.

Safe Driving!
Kari

Stop. Stay Stopped.

We inhabit a world in which there are very few absolutes.

Even stop signs don't seem to always mean stop. Park near an intersection controlled by stop signs and you'll see what I mean. A frightening percentage of the traffic approaching the stop sign will roll past the stop sign, ignore stop lines painted on the ground, and if no vehicles are approaching continue without making a full stop.

Here's an absolute we insist upon maintaining.

When a school bus is stopped with its stop arm extended, stop. No questions asked. No arguing. No negotiating.

Stop.

See, we can protect kids when they're inside the bus. That yellow bus is a huge piece of equipment, much bigger and heavier than the average vehicle it meets. The student seating compartment rests several feet higher than the average vehicle on the road, keeping students above the point of direct impact in most collisions. The seats are high-backed, flexible, and well-padded, insulating students from most things.

The bright red stop sign coupled with amber and red warning lights and the well-enforced safety practices keep our students safe outside the bus.

The single variable over which we have the least amount of control is the approaching motorist who fails to honor our stop signs.

We had two stop arm violations yesterday, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

In the morning, the bus was stopped and students waited outside for the bus driver to signal them to approach the bus. Meanwhile, a woman driving in the neighborhood failed to stop for the extended stop arm. Her husband called today to ask us to rescind the report. We aren't allowed to do that. The law requires us to submit the report.

In the afternoon, a younger woman passed a school bus from the rear. She had a young man in the vehicle with her. They passed the bus on the right - the door side - just as students were preparing to exit the bus. We believe the inhabitants of the vehicle were high school students. We're not yet sure they realize how serious yesterday's incident was. Passing a school bus on the right, even when only the yellow lights are flashing, is a serious offense because it's so dangerous.

If I remember correctly, in Minnesota both drivers could be charged with gross misdeanors, punishable by up to $3,000 in fines, the loss of their drivers' licenses, and up to 30 days in jail. Whether or not they'll be charged that way and whether or not the punishment is imposed is up to the legal minds at the Wright County Courthouse.

It's not up to us - not the bus driver, the bus company, or school district administration - to decide when and if we'll submit a stop arm violation report or to decide how that report with be handled.

When we file a report, our great hope is not that people will get the maximum sentence when they violate a stop arm.

Our great hope is primarily that those violators will not harm one of our students. Second to that, we hope those violators take it seriously when the officer visits them and explains what they've done wrong and issues the ticket. We hope they spend the next weeks talking to family and friends about the incident, spreading the word that when a school bus stop arm is extended, there is no negotiating. There is no rolling through. There is no second-guessing or interpreting. There is only the absolute fact that all traffic must stop.

Stop.

Stay stopped.

Incidentally, it's probably just as well that we aren't in charge of issuing the punishment for violating stop arms. I've been behind the wheel of a school bus when students were outside and I didn't know whether oncoming traffic would stop or not. I believe our students' safety is worth the maximum penalty.

Safe Driving!

Kari

Check Those Mirrors Today!!

In an effort to spark extra careful attention to what's happening outside the bus during loading and unloading times, we're mandating mirror checks for our employees.

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 111 regulates mirror adjustment. The diagram looks like this:

To help drivers best adjust their mirrors, we paint the ground and give them space to check their mirror adjustments.

This orange "c" section is for Type C school buses - the ones with "noses."

This yellow "f" section is for Type D school buses - the ones with a flat front.

Basically, drivers park their buses with the bumper at the front of the painted box. The dots on the ground correspond to the dots on the FMVSS 111 diagram.

With properly adjusted mirrors, drivers will be able to see each and every dot using one or more of the mirrors. Properly adjusted mirrors mean drivers have fewer blind spots and are more able to see students in the "danger zone" around the bus.

Though properly adjusted mirrors are critical, we know it is by far best to keep students in the driver's direct line of vision. We teach students to cross approximately ten feet in front of the bus after making eye contact with the bus driver and clearly seeing the safety signal ("Thumbs UP for Safety). We encourage students to return the signal as they cross, making them active participants in their own safety. With large group stops, we teach students to wait in a designated location until the bus leaves the area. We try to teach students not to run toward the bus at any time, but wait at the bus stop and walk in an orderly fashion toward the bus at the appropriate time.

In my experience, students are not often actively thinking about their own safety. As public safety stewards, it is our most sacred job to constantly and consistently remind them to be safe.

Safe Driving!

Kari

In the News... 6-Year Old Killed By Bus

Yesterday I was thinking about student safety outside the bus. You can read the blog post, "On Crossing the Street" from Monday, March 22, 11:08 am.

Not long after publishing my own thoughts about student safety and the high percentage of students hurt in the spring, we learned a young boy died yesterday. He was hit by his own bus, and his bus driver, according to news reports, is devastated. I imagine the entire community is devastated.

So am I.

We teach new drivers about student safety outside the school bus just like we teach students how to be safe using a booklet, "The Moment of Truth: School Bus Loading and Unloading Safety." Like most of our materials, the book is dated (the latest statistics it contains are for 1994.

There are fourteen practices and suggestions in the booklet:

1. Establish and enforce safe crossing procedures at each and every stop with each and every student. Key point: if a student fails to follow safe crossing procedures, teach them how.

2. Count students. Key point: if a driver loses count or gets confused about how many students were present, get up and look for them.

3. Assume traffic will fail to follow rules, laws, and best practices. Key point: a defensive attitude and posture keeps the most people safe and healthy.

4. Remain focused on those students outside the bus. Key point: learn to count to ten before looking into the rearview mirror when motion catches your attention; the students inside the bus are safe.

5. Pay attention to the statistics. Key point: again, statistics report important things; statistics do not predict. * 25% of student fatalities occur when a student is hit by his or her own bus * young children are most vulnerable, but middle school students come a close second * pm routes in the spring are most dangerous.

6. Drive a bus only once the mirrors are properly adjusted. Key point: mirror adjustment requires expert help; get it.

7. Maintain safe schedules. Key point: avoid rushing.

8. Understand safety. Key point: avoid desensitization caused by continuous performance of routine activities.

9. Use safety equipment correctly. Key point: if the bus is equipped with a crossing gate, DO NOT RELAX!! Too often students circle round the gate and walk toward the bus instead of continuing in a straight line.

10. Teach students to be safe. Key point: if students don't take their own safety seriously, it's more challenging to keep them safe.

11. Expect students to engage in unexpected and confusing behavior. Key point: drivers need to be familiar with each student's habits and watch for changes in behavior.

12. Practice middle loading when assigning seats. Key point: the safest seats (the ones with the most cushion) are in the middle of the bus.

13. Listen to what students say. Key point: they have a gut instinct too, and sometimes adults don't take them seriously.

14. Education begins with drivers and students, but doesn't stop there. Key point: educate the public.We add one practice to safe crossing practices: we teach and use the "Thumbs UP for safety" signal. I'd like to see all bus drivers and all students using it. Practical? No. I cannot imagine our seniors giving the driver this hand signal. We'll keep trying. Maybe if we keep working on it, our students will all be participating in the next decade.

Keep the community of Pine River in your thoughts and prayers. Their pain will not ease quickly.

Safe Driving...
Kari

On Crossing the Street

Statistics do not predict. They report. That's an important difference.

That said, spring school bus fatality statistics alarm me every year. The most common time for a school bus to hit one of its riders is in the spring.

There are all kinds of theories about why spring is so dangerous.

While it's important for us to know and appreciate those theories, we believe our energy is best spent teaching drivers and students to be safe outside the school bus.

Key to safe crossing? Visual contact between a bus driver and a student!

We teach our students to watch for the driver's "Thumbs UP." We teach our students to return the "Thumbs UP" so the driver knows the student is an active participant in his or her own safety.

During school bus safety training, we tell our kids the "Safe Crossing with Safety Sam" story. The story's a little bit lame and the pictures are very dated. We keep using it because it accomplishes our goal.

Here's the story:

We desperately new artwork.

Safe Driving!

Kari

Best EVER Compliment...

At Thursday's Kindergarten Round-Up, we received the BEST OF ALL COMPLIMENTS.

I was gathering forms and data and Important Stuff when a parent approached me and had this to say:

"I was going to skip the transportation portion of the night. I stayed for who knows what reason, and let me just say, I AM SO GLAD I DID. I was scared to send my child to school on the bus. And now I'm not. THANK YOU!"

Nice.

I care about your children.I care about YOU. I care about making YOU happy because your children are happy.

That's not always easy.It's also not always a place where people offer praise.

Last night it was both! Halleluiah

Safe Driving!
Kari

Interesting Fact #2,043

Did you know you can request a speed zone study?

We called the city about the intersection of CR 39 W and Chelsea Road because we have concerns about the increasing speed limit for west-bound traffic on CR 39 W and visibility for the north-bound Chelsea traffic.

There's something of a process to initiate a speed zone study, but it sounds like it's progressing.

I'm glad. The intersection makes me nervous enough to think about it regularly.

Safe Driving!
Kari

Kindergarten, Here We Come!

This week kicks off Kindergarten registration, also known as Kindergarten Round-Up. This is the first of a two-part series. In August, Kindergarten Count-Down (part two in the series) takes place and includes the Kindergarten students. Part one is for parents.

There is so much for parents to learn when it's time for their child to start school, and they are often filled with equal parts trepidation and excitement. I know I was!

One of the great unknowns for Kindergarten parents - especially first timers - is how their student will manage their first experience with mass transportation.

There are two keys to a positive transportation experience.

The first is that parents are positive, talking to their children about how much fun it will be to ride the bus, reading colorful and happy bus stories (we never recommend Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus), and avoiding burdening their children with worries or fears.

For the adults involved in transportation, the key is that all parties have adequate information. We need to know names and addresses and phone numbers for a number of people. We also need to know the child's schedule in great detail.

Our first responsibility is to collect information from parents using the Transportation Registration Form.

Once we've received responses for each student, we being a "file" for each student, paying great attention to pick-up and drop-off locations. For many students that location is the same. For a growing number of students, two or three addresses are involved.

We plot each student on a master map that we will use until just after school starts. It's an electronic map with lots of hand-written notes and bright colors symbolizing many transportation-related things (red for home, green for dc, blue for boy, pink for girl, etc.).

We study the geographic clusters of students and find ways to efficiently map routes so buses aren't driving in circles or adding excess miles. We consider:

• How can we best fill a bus on the way home from school and then fill it again on the way back to school?
• How can we make sure our youngest students are not getting on or off the bus in the dark?
• How can we plot the most efficient routes while keeping students on the right side of the bus?
• How can we meet the most parental requests?
• How can we plan for address changes?

The 2009-2010 routes looked like this:



East to west we travel 23.02 miles. North to south, we travel 9.57 miles. That's a lot of distanct to accomodate in a relatively short amount of time.

Students actually appear where you see brackets. (If there is no student where you see a color indicating a route, it's because the student only rides certain days. When those "missing" students don't ride, we don't travel those roads.)



We like to assign our furthest students to the AM class. If we assign them PM, they may not get off the bus until after dark during winter months.

Some students in a neighborhood will be assigned to AM, while others (maybe even on the same street) will be assigned PM.

The yellow route is "PM" and the green route is AM. Note that students living just a few houses apart are in separate classes.

That occurs because students need to fit on the regular early AM and late PM K-5 routes too. If one neighborhood were all AM, the early morning route carrying K-5 would be very full and the same bus on PM route would have empty seats.

Have more questions? Give us a call. We get excited about routing, transportation geeks that we are!

Safe Driving!
Kari

Intersection Poses Challenge

Newly-permitted teens scare me - even more when the newly-permitted teen belongs to me.

I've now ridden in the passenger seat with both my sons, and they're both going to be good drivers. They're patient and have a quiet self-confidence behind the wheel. Both qualities are key factors in safe driving.

On Wednesday, Jakob and I were driving home in the fog. As he drove west on CR 39 and crossed over the bridge, I noticed again a concern I had when Adam was driving.

The speed limit changes to 55 just over the bridge.

Just past the speed limit change, Chelsea meets CR 39. Motorists attempting to make a left-hand turn from Chelsea to head west on CR 39 have a difficulty both with the foilage along CR 39 and with that changing speed limit for the west-bound traffic.

We talked about the intersection during our safety meeting this morning. The bus drivers concur: the intersection is a challenge.

West-bound motorists need to wait to accelerate until they see what's happening at the Chelsea intersection.

Chelsea traffic waiting to make a left-hand turn needs to watch what's coming from the bridge, make the turn when it's safe to do so, and then accelerate confidently until reaching adequate speed.

It's a little more difficult for school buses to reach adequate speeds quickly; they don't have the same pick-up as smaller passenger vehicles. We would request that other motorists be patient around the school bus.

In other meeting news...

We discussed information about the upcoming negotiation and eventual contract approval. At March 15th's meeting, Superintendent Johnson will make a brief statement about the status - that they're talking to us and working toward a contract. On April 5, the school board should be able to see a contract and vote whether to approve it or not.

We urged caution in the depot parking lot and at each school parking lot; we ask drivers to maintain a 10 mph speed limit. Spring is statistically the most dangerous season for our smallest students, so maintaining safe speeds and practicing patience become critical factors in a bus safety program.

Finally, we asked the bus drivers to update route sheets, stop times, and student data, all of which is critical to effectively and efficiently creating routes. We hope to have most of the routing done before the end of the school year, and would like to send home tentative schedules the last week of school, but we'll see how that goes.

Next up? Registration at Pinewood. We'll be there Monday night and Tuesday morning.

Safe Driving!

Kari

Tentative Agreement Reached

Last Saturday the four companies who submitted quotations to the Monticello School District on February 12 each received a request from the District's transportation consultant. He invited each interested vendor to submit a final round of pricing.

We submitted new pricing on Tuesday morning.

Based on those figures, we've reached a tentative agreement with the District, and plan to meet tomorrow morning at 11:00 am to negotiate the final details. After Thursday's meeting the next step will be to sign a new contract.

We're thankful for all the ways people have supported us through this difficult process, and look forward to continuing to serve this community.

Safe Driving!
Kari

Contract Update

We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of public support. Thanks to those of you who have taken the time and effort required to communicate your support of our business.

Over the last year, we've been working with the school district to make an agreement that works for both the school district and for us. Three times we thought we achieved that goal only to find that the school board didn't think the agreement was satisfactory.

The meetings we had weren't intense or antagonistic. Far from it! We met three or four times, talked about what we needed to achieve, and presented our offer.

In December we learned that the school board wanted to seek quotations.

The quotation process is tricky. The school board sends a notice. Transportation vendors attend a meeting to find out what the school really wants. Those same vendors opt to submit a quotation or not. The vendors follow a timeline managed by the school district.

Four vendors that attended the Monticello meeting opted to submit quotations. Those quotations were opened February 12th. Three vendors were in a similar ballpark. The fourth was not.

We presented our quotation based on what we do rather than on what the specs said. The specs, as I indicated many, many times to the people involved, were NOT about what we do. They were not based on what I think the school district needs or wants. So we presented our quotation based on what we do.

Since that time we have reduced our prices significantly. We can because the specs call for less service than we offer now. Example? The specs call for 25% additional buses for spares and trips. 25% means we have 8 spares - and those 8 spare mean 1 wheelchair-lift equipped vehicle, 1 van, 1 large capacity bus, etc. We currently have the 8 spares AND nine additional buses. The school district REGULARLY uses the nine additional spares. If we sell those nine additional spares, we can meet the pricing the school district needs. What does that mean for the school district? Higher - way higher - pricing for the extra buses they need to do what they do now.

Our appeal is to local business. All we ask is that people contact the school board members. The request is simple: now that we know what the market bears, stop talking to national and international business and work with the local vendor.

I guarantee that we will do what is best for OUR students, community, and school district.

Safe Driving!
Kari

And Today We Ask for Help...

Friends, Family, and Colleagues

Today we appeal to you regarding the fate of our business, Hoglund Transportation, Inc., and our contract with the Monticello School District. In the letter below, I present information about our company, the current status of the transportation contract, and the schedule of upcoming events.

First, I share this anecdote: early in 1991, newly married and expecting our first child, Joe and I were looking for our first house. We found affordable housing in Clearwater, Buffalo, and Big Lake. Dad – lifetime Monticello resident – was horrified. “Our livelihood comes from the school district. Find a place in Monticello.” We did. I learned early to support our school; voting “no” to a referendum was never on my radar. I hope I have taught my sons the same sense of loyalty and responsibility.

Small businesses like ours form the bedrock of a community. We ask that you support ours. Please read the attachment. If you wish to support our small community business, click here to get the names and contact information for our school board members. If you agree the school district should save money at the expense of a local business, please urge the school district to limit the new vendor’s contract to one year. Any company sure of its success will be willing to agree to a short term contract for the future reward. We would.

Regards,
Kari Kounkel

What We Do For Our District

· We were able to save 172.78 miles per day and 465.77 hours per day by rerouting 2007 routes for the 2008 school year. The benefits to the district were multifold: fewer discipline issues and fewer complaints from parents about ride-time.

· We have complied with every request for a new route or to change routing for student accommodation issues in fewer than the three days allowed by the contract.

· We have never caused disruption to the school day or the athletic department by missing a route or a trip.

· We have never caused disruption to the school day because our buses didn’t start in cold weather because we know when it’s time to change to number 1 fuel when the weather starts to change.

· We have been able to provide service at the last minute when staff forgot to schedule a bus or van.

· We have lower driver turn around than most companies. At the end of 2009 we lost one driver to retirement. Every other employee returned in the fall of 2009.

· We offer 26 hours of paid training to our drivers each year. Eight hours of training is required.

· We saved the district between $20,000 and $30,000 by assuming the responsibilities of the Transportation Manager without additional cost to the district.

· We correct any problem brought to our attention within 24 hours.

· We have key leadership (Joe and/or Kari and/or Gordy) available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

· We have been paying property taxes and voting for referendums since our company opening in 1947.

· We purchase our supplies, parts, and services from local vendors whenever possible, supporting other businesses that pay property taxes to Monticello.

· We conduct a controlled substance testing program for Type III drivers too, a practice recommended by law, but not required.

· We can be relied upon to always do what we say we will do.

· We devised a tag system to help Kindergarten students successfully navigate public transportation for the first time.

· We devised a tag system to help bus drivers keep track of multi-address students, using “Home” and “Daycare” designations or “Mom’s” and “Dad’s” designations.

· We devised a tag system for all students to replace writing on their hands with permanent marker, while successfully getting students to the correct bus.

· We consistently handle incidents of misconduct on the bus. Since the program is consistent from building to building and grade to grade, we are seeing a reduction in the number of incidents on the bus, good news from a public safety perspective.

· We designed a transportation system that is as efficient as it can be according to industry experts and school administration.

· We present our billing to the school in an easy-to-understand format and with sufficient back-up to give both the administration at the school and at our company confidence in the accuracy of the invoices.

· We have initiated a program encouraging “kind and caring” behavior to all students at all times.

· We have been using a “Rule of the Week” campaign for two years. Drivers post a new rule each Tuesday, we update our blog with the rule/poster, and we’ve given the rule schedule to each elementary for their morning announcements.

· We do not keep substandard employees.

· We sent information about bus routes home to parents three times in August, first on a postcard, and then twice via their homeroom or Magic Minutes advisor group.

· We hire only the most qualified applicants, excluding immediately any person with a careless or inattentive driving on their motor vehicle report. Our current driver roster is overwhelmingly moving violation-free.

· We check motor vehicle records twice each year, once in a process involving the driver (certification of motor vehicle records) and a second time in the spring. We also do random spot checks to make sure drivers carry their driver license at all times (it’s the law) and to see that there are no clips or holes punched in the license. Our motor vehicle record source offers free tracking of any driver license number we enter, so we also receive email when an employee’s license change.

· We offer many options for communication, including our website, blog, and twitter account. Those parents using any of those tools appreciate them.

· We won the state of Minnesota “Great Fleet” award and were chosen as the “Contractor of the Year” in Minnesota and at the national level.

· We were awarded first place in an industry-specific newsletter contest based not only on newsletter design, but on safety content.

· We nominated three long-time drivers for the MSBOA Transportation Specialist Award, and all three won. We set our own criteria for nominations based on years of service. One additional employee will be eligible in two years.

· We purchase buses with air brakes. Although not mandated in Minnesota (unlike other states), air brakes are an important safety enhancement.

· We deliberately opted to not place crossing gates on the front of our school buses. Crossing gates give drivers and students a false sense of security. Training drivers to count students and teaching students to be safe outside the school bus are far more effective safety practices than trying to use a device.

· We use “No Child Left Behind” technology in every school bus. The device requires the driver to walk to the back of the bus for deactivation. In this case, the mechanical option is a better, fool-proof system than any manual system ensuring post-trip inspections of vehicles.

· We created a training system to use with students K-5. Students first watch a power point created by us. Classroom training is followed by one-on-one training in a school bus. The bus training ends with a simulated evacuation and a demonstration of the safety signal.

· We opt to use the “Thumbs Up for Safety” signal rather than a wave. Motorists were sometimes confused by the safety wave, thinking the bus driver was waving them through. The “Thumbs Up” signal is less confusing. We’ve found students, especially the little ones, are more active participants in their own safety; many of them give the bus driver the thumbs up in return.
· We have a strict no-idle policy designed to reduce harmful emissions and fuel consumption, and we do what we can to enforce it.

· We require our drivers to check-in at Dispatch each morning and prior to afternoon routes. Two trained supervisors, our Dispatcher and Joe or I, look for sober, healthy drivers. We have developed relationships with drivers over the years, and believe this is a key factor in any successful controlled substance policy.

· We have never denied a parent the right to question a stop. We review every stop each time a parent – or a bus driver – makes a request.

· We have created a company-wide training program and require participation by every employee to ensure we all get the same important information on a weekly basis.

· We are among the best at what we do.

Safe Driving!
Kari

School Delayed Two Hours, 1/16/09

Monticello Schools will start two hours late January 16, 2009.

Check for updates at www.Kare11.com.

Safe Driving!
Kari