Down in South Carolina a town known as Allendale is changing their school bus policy because of an incident that occurred on Thursday. After school a 19-year-old special education student was upset after being told he needed to go home and was not able to watch the other students play sports. After a verbal fight, the student ran away from his adult attendant and towards a bus. The bus was empty and the student found the spare key, started the bus, and drove off.
He made it about four miles before crashing into a house. Fortunately, only minor injuries were caused to the student and house's resident. Investigations are still underway as to whose fault it is, and as to whether or not the student will need to be charged with anything. The new school bus policy states that no bus, in use (without a driver present) or parked at base, will ever have its keys left in it.
It is unfortunate that most problems, as unlikely as some of them are, only occur to us or are fixed after an incident has happened.
Thank You,
Haleigh
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
On Privatization...
I recall teachers and professors frequently (please note I didn't say "always") commenting on the danger of using sweeping generalization. "A sweeping generalization," according to San Jose University professors, "is one in which there seems to be sufficient evidence offered to draw a conclusion, but the conclusion drawn far exceeds what the evidence supports."
It often occurs to me that many people, including many journalists, missed those sweeping generalization lectures. Today I read an article in the Minneapolis Labor Review (No. 11, March 23, 2012) about the Robinsdale School District voting to outsource their transportation to a private company. The decision was made because the school district's skyrocketing costs are out of line with what other districts are paying for transportation. Apparently, the community is in an uproar. I think that's typical of any community facing a massive change that affects students.
However, I would imagine, as is the case in most similar situations, that drivers will be offered employment with the new private company. And lest we get caught up in the debate about the quality of the private company, I assert that the company will be as good as the local manager. If that person cares about the community, and is good at running school bus operations, the community is going to have a positive experience. If the reverse is true, the community will not have a positive experience. In my opinion, the quality of the transportation operation rests on the shoulders of all Transportation Managers, whether employed by School Districts or by private contractors, nation-wide.
What I don't care for, and always object to, is the people who paint all private companies with the same brush, the brush of sweeping generalizion. It's very much like what happens when fanatics start dicussing evil corporations (all corporations are bad and all corporations are destroying the fabric of our country - to which I always interject, "Mine isn't.) Consider the following comments from the article:
We are a private company.
We operate every day with student safety as our first, though not only, priority. We also care about accountability to our School District, our community, our customers, and our employees.
Our drivers, though non-union employees, care about their students, often going to great lengths to make a student's day better. We are not regularly late, although we have had the rare situation that results in tardiness. Our drivers don't stop to smoke, leaving kids unattended or in unsafe situations. We have disallowed cell phone use while our vehicles are in operation long before the law disallowed it. I have many other examples of this particular private company leading the way along safe paths (implementing drug and alcohol testing before it was mandatory, requesting improvements to bus design, leading the way in student and public education, and belonging to our community...).
I don't think that was the point of the article.
Really, the crux of the matter has nothing to do with student safety or the contributions of private contractors to student transportation in the state of Minnesota. The crux, I believe, appears in one of the final paragraphs of the article:
First, when did "profit" become a bad word? Profit, essentially, is ending the month with a little cash left in the bank after all the bills and expenses are paid. And honestly, don't we all want to make a profit? And understand, I am referring to modest, reasonable profits; I think multi-million dollar packages for CEOs of corporations are ridiculous and insane.
Further, if that private bus company can provide safe and efficient transportation services and if they can offer those services for less than what the district is paying currently (even including their nasty profit), why wouldn't tax payers be in favor of reducing costs?
Seems like a no-brainer to me.
Safe Driving!
Kari
It often occurs to me that many people, including many journalists, missed those sweeping generalization lectures. Today I read an article in the Minneapolis Labor Review (No. 11, March 23, 2012) about the Robinsdale School District voting to outsource their transportation to a private company. The decision was made because the school district's skyrocketing costs are out of line with what other districts are paying for transportation. Apparently, the community is in an uproar. I think that's typical of any community facing a massive change that affects students.
However, I would imagine, as is the case in most similar situations, that drivers will be offered employment with the new private company. And lest we get caught up in the debate about the quality of the private company, I assert that the company will be as good as the local manager. If that person cares about the community, and is good at running school bus operations, the community is going to have a positive experience. If the reverse is true, the community will not have a positive experience. In my opinion, the quality of the transportation operation rests on the shoulders of all Transportation Managers, whether employed by School Districts or by private contractors, nation-wide.
What I don't care for, and always object to, is the people who paint all private companies with the same brush, the brush of sweeping generalizion. It's very much like what happens when fanatics start dicussing evil corporations (all corporations are bad and all corporations are destroying the fabric of our country - to which I always interject, "Mine isn't.) Consider the following comments from the article:
- Speaker after speaker expressed fears for student safety if transportation is handed over to a private contractor.
- Privatizing is bad for students, parents, taxpayers...
- Busses [sic] currently operated by private contractors are regularly late and students tell her stories of those private contractor's drivers stopping to smoke or talk on cell phones.
We are a private company.
We operate every day with student safety as our first, though not only, priority. We also care about accountability to our School District, our community, our customers, and our employees.
Our drivers, though non-union employees, care about their students, often going to great lengths to make a student's day better. We are not regularly late, although we have had the rare situation that results in tardiness. Our drivers don't stop to smoke, leaving kids unattended or in unsafe situations. We have disallowed cell phone use while our vehicles are in operation long before the law disallowed it. I have many other examples of this particular private company leading the way along safe paths (implementing drug and alcohol testing before it was mandatory, requesting improvements to bus design, leading the way in student and public education, and belonging to our community...).
I don't think that was the point of the article.
Really, the crux of the matter has nothing to do with student safety or the contributions of private contractors to student transportation in the state of Minnesota. The crux, I believe, appears in one of the final paragraphs of the article:
If the district contracts out for its school bus operations, school district dollars will become a source of profit for a private bus company, instead of going towards [sic] union wage jobs and benefits.
First, when did "profit" become a bad word? Profit, essentially, is ending the month with a little cash left in the bank after all the bills and expenses are paid. And honestly, don't we all want to make a profit? And understand, I am referring to modest, reasonable profits; I think multi-million dollar packages for CEOs of corporations are ridiculous and insane.
Further, if that private bus company can provide safe and efficient transportation services and if they can offer those services for less than what the district is paying currently (even including their nasty profit), why wouldn't tax payers be in favor of reducing costs?
Seems like a no-brainer to me.
Safe Driving!
Kari
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
When Turkeys Attack!
In Cumberland County, New Jersey one bus had a very unexpected passenger. Edwin Ramos was driving the bus last Friday morning on County Route 553 when a turkey smashed through the windshield. Yes, a turkey actually went through the school buses' window. While the bird did not survive the crash, Ramos and three students on board had to be treated for minor injuries they got from the shattered glass.
If you can remember back to november, a deer also went through the windsheild of a school bus. Causing excessive damage but no injuries since the bus was empty. I dont know what has been up with all these animals trying to get rides on the bus but I can think of a few better ways to do it.
Thank You,
Haleigh
Monday, March 5, 2012
Kindergarten Here We Come!
Tonight we meet with the new kindergarten students starting school in September. Please view our presentation and see what we have to say to the students and their parents.
This is the most exciting time of the year for us!
Kindergarten Students
This is the most exciting time of the year for us!
Kindergarten Students
Friday, March 2, 2012
On Board Bus Monitors
In Idaho Falls, Idaho, Bonneville County Joint School District (JSD) 93 is taking a proactive stance on school bus bullying. They are launching a program that will hopefully solve not only the bullying but other behavior and discipline problems happening on board. Five years ago they had security cameras installed in their buses as a first step in this fight, but when the feed-back came in, it wasn't as good as they wanted. 
Now they are trying to have adult bus monitors on board. This is a volunteer position and they have no active role in disciplining the students. The monitors will be given a clip board on which they are to record and keep track of the behavioral problems for the day. They will also be in charge of handing out "Bus Bucks" which the students can turn for prizes.
Now they are trying to have adult bus monitors on board. This is a volunteer position and they have no active role in disciplining the students. The monitors will be given a clip board on which they are to record and keep track of the behavioral problems for the day. They will also be in charge of handing out "Bus Bucks" which the students can turn for prizes.They do not expect to have someone on every route and so they plan to try to disperse the volunteers evenly through-out this trial period. To be a volunteer they must first undergo a back ground check, the same one the school uses. For extra help with the program (JSD) 93 is looking into recruiting at retirement establishments.
I think this is a great idea! We will sometimes have extra people on board when we are told about repeated incidents. If we could prevent problems by simply having an extra set of adult eyes present it would be wonder. It is also an easy way to be active in your community if you are someone who takes pleasure in helping others! I wish you luck (JSD) 93!
Thank You,
Haleigh
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Keeping Up the Wave
I have a favorite story, though it might not be fair since I have read a lot of great ones. This story was about a man and his admirable attempt at embarrassing his 10th grade son. If you clink on this http://hoglundblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/do-you-wave.html it will bring you to the original article I wrote back in June of 2011. To sum it up, Dale wore a different costume everyday of the school year and waved at his son's school bus as it drove past their home.The son, Rain, took it with good nature, and the rest of the bus, along with the world sing Dale's praise.
Above is Dale Price, waving at the bus.
This is the follow up story.
Dale Price never really pondered over what the other kids thought of his costumes from day to day but he thought more than once about what the bus driver had to say about it. Price remembers specifically contemplating what the bus driver might think: "'I wonder if he is going to call the police or something, there's some kind of weirdo waving at the bus, but I saw him smiling and he would wave back."
Now Dale finally has his answer, Myron Carlson, who drove the bus down Price's street, met him and told him: "You lifted all of the spirits of all of the kids on the bus." Sorry Dale, but Myron was far from setting the cops on you. Just as the rest of our world did, he was laughing with you.
I'm happy Dale got his answer, but I'm even more excited that his story is know around the world! I look forward to stories like these when I'm reading through bus articles online, this one is my favorite.
Thank You,
Haleigh
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Run Away Bus is Stopped
Two moms and a third grader stopped a runaway bus on Monday morning. The driver was pulling up to a stop and had a seizure--resulting in the bus rolling by and continuing down the road. Rhonda Carlsen's daughter pointed out that the bus driver looked strange. Carlsen then started running after the bus while another mom called 911.
Rhonda Carlsen is pictured above.
While running alongside the school bus, Carlsen was able to see that the driver was having some kind of problem. As she was trying to pry the door open, she noticed the students frightened faces, then making eye contact with a 3rd grader. Carlsen motioned for the student to release the door's lock. When the door opened, she immediately jumped on board. Reaching first for the buses steering wheel, then pushing the break to the floor, and finally turning off the buses ignition.
Carlsen later talked about how happy she was that this incident did not happen on a busy street, but in their quiet neighborhood. No students were hurt, and the driver is in the hospital. The driver's family says that his first concern upon waking up was his student's safety.
Applause is given to the two parents and the third grade boy for saving the day. We at Hoglund Transportation would also like to congradulate them as well! Good job for staying safe and thinking fast!
Thank You,
Haleigh
Sunday, February 12, 2012
No More School Buses?
Lake Elsinore Unified School District (LEUSD) board members eliminated the home-to-school transportation program for students in LEUSD for the 2012-2013 school year. With schools' budgets being continuously cut, and busing being a major cost for any district, sadly, this is not an unforeseen turn of events.
The average cost for busing and special needs transportation is over $5,000,000 for the 2011-12 school year, and state funding for both programs only totaled $2,096,717. Anyone can see that there is a disconnect between what is given and what is spent. The law states that the district is required to provide busing for its special needs students, for which the cost is predicted to be around$2.5 million for the 2012-2013 school year.
Pictured above are some of the ditricts drivers who showed up to speak against the school bus cuts on Thursday evening.
Residents voiced their concerns over this change to the LEUSD school board Thursday night. Some concerns were about the students being too young to walk so far, and some mentioned that it is too dangerous to cross over some of the main highways. One man brought up the attemped kidnapping that happened on Monday, saying that it could be too much of a temptation to put all those children on the roads daily.
I hope that the board, somehow, is able to find room in the budget for busing, and that the children are safe either way. I was lucky enough to have had busing as a child and never had to worry about it being taken away. I only wish that I could say the same for these kids.
Thank You,
Haleigh
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Man Sentenced to 15 Deserved Years in Prison!
Aaron Gunderson, a 32-year-old man, was finally sentenced for his actions taken on May 10th, 2011. On that day, just before eight a.m., Gunderson passed a stopped school bus; the bus had its lights on and its stop arm extended. Ignoring the obvious signs, he sped past and struck a 7-year-old Kadyn Halverson with his truck while she was crossing the street to board her bus. Then, for one reason or another, he fled the scene in his truck, leaving Kadyn on the side of the road where she died from her injuries.
With 12 students and bus driver serving as witnesses, Gunderson was eventually found and taken into custody. During the plea change hearing, Gunderson said that he never saw the stop arm or lights on the bus, and that he didn’t think the bus was stopped. In the end, since he plead guilty to vehicular homicide by reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, he got a total of 15 years. Ten years for the murder, and five for fleeing the scene. The more serious charge of vehicular homicide while intoxicated was dismissed as part of the plea agreement with the prosecutors.
My heart goes out to Kadyn's family, as well as any others who have experienced a similar tragedy. I can only hope that Kadyn's Law comes through. Kadyn's mother, as well as others who support her, are lobbying for a new law. They are asking legislators to increase the penalty for motorists who drive by a stopped school bus that has its lights flashing and the stop-arm extended. The group also wants video cameras mounted in school buses to record violations.
Good luck with the law. I believe it is something that should have been done long before anything this tragic had to happen.
With 12 students and bus driver serving as witnesses, Gunderson was eventually found and taken into custody. During the plea change hearing, Gunderson said that he never saw the stop arm or lights on the bus, and that he didn’t think the bus was stopped. In the end, since he plead guilty to vehicular homicide by reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, he got a total of 15 years. Ten years for the murder, and five for fleeing the scene. The more serious charge of vehicular homicide while intoxicated was dismissed as part of the plea agreement with the prosecutors.
My heart goes out to Kadyn's family, as well as any others who have experienced a similar tragedy. I can only hope that Kadyn's Law comes through. Kadyn's mother, as well as others who support her, are lobbying for a new law. They are asking legislators to increase the penalty for motorists who drive by a stopped school bus that has its lights flashing and the stop-arm extended. The group also wants video cameras mounted in school buses to record violations.
Good luck with the law. I believe it is something that should have been done long before anything this tragic had to happen.
Thank You,
Haleigh
Friday, January 27, 2012
Teen Pulls Bus Over After Driver has Heart Attack!
Graceann Rumer is pictured above.17-year-old Graceann Rumer possibly saved not only her life but the lives of dozens of other children when her school bus driver had a heart attack. Rumer's quick thinking got the bus off the road and out of traffic. 51-year-old driver Charles Duncan passed out while driving his students home on January 26, losing control of the wheel.
Rumer immediately jumped into action, taking the wheel and turning the bus away from the oncoming traffic. With Duncan's feet still blocking the brakes, she pulled the bus to the side of the road and put it in park. None of the students were injured, but the driver passed away shortly afterward.
We at Hoglund Transportation would like to applaud Rumer for an excellent job! For showing such control over herself in a fearful situation and protecting the lives of others! Good Job!
Thank You,
Haleigh
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