North Carolina Pupil Transportation Teleconference

November 18, 2004

1:00 – 3:30

Bus SpecificationsCharles Ball, Spec Committee

Chair• Type A Specs

• Type C Specs

Specifications Committee• LEA Representatives (voting, 2 year terms) • 1. Western Area Representatives -

– Term expiring December 2003: Harold Laflin, Buncombe County – Term expiring December 2004: Terry Campbell, Iredell County – Term expiring December 2005: Jeff Garmon, Cabarrus County – Term expiring December 2006: Rick Stiles, Haywood County

• 2. Central Area Representatives - – Term expiring December 2003: Todd Naylor, Davie County – Term expiring December 2004: Billy Smith, Randolph County – Term expiring December 2005: David Misenheimer, Stanly County – Term expiring December 2006: Jay Temple, Davidson County

• 3. Eastern Area Representatives - – Term expiring December 2003: Jeff Thigpen, Duplin County – Term expiring December 2004: Tommy Hudson, Edgecombe County – Term expiring December 2005: David Twiddy, Dare County – Term expiring December 2006: Bobby Taylor, Brunswick County

• DMV School Bus & Traffic Safety – Term expiring December 2003 – Floyd Jackson– Term expiring December 2004 – Keith Whitley– Term expiring December 2005 – Art Collier

Division of Purchase and Contract – Cathy Griner

•Status of Bus Contracts

•Feedback to P&C - vendor performance

•Value of state contracts

Replacement Buses

• Counties getting 1 replacement – buses already ordered through DPI

• Request for Payment

• Purchase Order

• www.ncbussafety.org/finance

Updated Formsat www.ncbussafety.org

• TD-30 30 day Bus Inspection

• Bus Sale Form

•Motorcoach Safety VideoMaj. Charlie Carden, NCSHP

• Provided to each school:– VHS Tape: Motorcoach Safety Partnership (7

minute instruction for the group leader)– VHS Tape: Motorcoach Transportation Safety

(13 minutes instruction for students)– DVD of each

• Delivered by state troopers

Homeland Security issues

• National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS)– Call for increase emphasis on school buses

as a terrorists target– Resources Available

2004 NASDPTS Resolution

• WHEREAS it is recognized that children represent a vulnerable and emotionally important segment of society, and

• WHEREAS any terrorist incident involving harm to children generates extensive media attention and serves the purposes of the perpetrators, and

• WHEREAS there is a worldwide history of terrorist incidents involving buses of all types, and

• WHEREAS there is an increasing history of terrorist incidents directly aimed at school children in other countries, and

• WHEREAS there are continued examples of potential security-related events, such as hijackings and extreme vandalism against school buses, and ………

BE IT RESOLVED that the members of NASDPTS encourage the Transportation Security Administration to:

• include school and school bus transportation security in the highest category of risk;

• add experienced and knowledgeable school bus transportation staff to its organization;

• work with all of the relevant and knowledgeable school bus transportation associations and organizations to develop and disseminate training and education programs that directly address school bus transportation security situations; and

• establish an on-going means for tracking security-related incidents involving school children and school bus transportation.

Resources at www.nasdpts.org

Vigilance and Awareness

• One key theme contained in many of these resources it that transportation personnel must be continually aware of situations that could point to terrorist activities – unusual or out of place packages, people, etc.

What we DON’T want to happen

• NASDPTS and NAPT conducted a training exercise where an explosive was detonated at the rear of a school bus in Cincinnati earlier this month.

Environmental IssuesClean School Bus USA

• Clean School Bus USA

• BioDiesel in Durham, Chatham

• No Idling Policies

Clean School Bus USADiesel Oxydation Catalysts

Buncombe, MadisonHaywood, Transylvania

Clean Buses for KidsToyota Grants

Clean Buses for KidsToyota Grants

• Funds for installing particulate traps

• Requires Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel Fuel– Will be widely available sometime in 2006

• 2007 engines require it

– IS IT AVAILABLE? YES! AT A PRICE– Grant funds would have to be used to offset

the difference in ULSD– Requires separate storage facility

• (Extra fuel truck??)

Clean Buses for KidsToyota Grants

• Interest expressed by: Guilford, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Henderson, Iredell, Northampton, others

• In order for your application to go forward, you MUST acknowledge that ULSD is available or your application will not be considered.

• Again, ULSD must be trucked in, so grant funding is needed

Environmental Initiatives - Biodiesel

• Durham County – in second full year

• Chatham County – began school year using biodiesel

No Idling Policies

• Recommendations sent to all LEAs with input from NCASA Transportation Advisory Council

• Not State Board of Education Policy yet

• Very important with fuel prices so high

Toni Parlier, NCPTA President

NCASA Advisory Council

• North Carolina Association of School Administrators– NCPTA has representation on NCASA Board

of Directors– Transportation Advisory Council meets

quarterly

Issues for Advisory Council

• Impact of State Board purchasing policy for tires and braking equipment

• Request to increase from 5 to 6 years the age of tires that may be recapped

• Menu Bidding of School Buses – Potential of awarding contracts to multiple vendors

Bumper Stickers on Buses

• Approved Safety Messages:– Buses Cannot Turn Right on Red– Buses Stop at All Railroad Crossings– “How’s My Driving?” Call 555 – 5555

• Messages NOT approved– DARE– School Promotion Messages– Other messages not listed as approved above

Inspection Manual Committee Concerns

•Deterioration of coated paper stickers over time•Covering of Reflective Tape

Potential Solutions

• Sticker placed on blank license plate in the extra plate holder

• Vinyl reflective bumper stickers

On Red

I Stop At

Transportation Funding Formula Study

• DPI was in favor of the study

• Needed to be funded by the General Assembly– This never happened

• Likely in 2005 ???

Fuel CostsTrends and Additional allotments

Diesel Fuel Prices August, 1996-March, 2001

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Diesel Fuel Prices 2004-2005

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STATE AVERAGE PRICE

YEAR TO DATEAVERAGE PRICEAVERAGE:

PM Manual Committee (James Hawkins)

NCPTA DISTRICT James Hawkins, DPI - Chair1 Rick Stiles, Haywood County2 Alfred Schrum, Lincoln County3 Donnie Rose, Yadkin County4 Al Smith, Alamance County5 Jeff Garmon, Cabarrus County6 Bill Winstead, Wilson County7 Shannon Ennis, Johnston County8 David Twiddy, Dare Countya9 Wade Tyndall, Lenoir County

Charles Ball, DPIRandy Henson, DPICraig Warren, DPI

Additional Fuel Allotments

• December 1 Allotment– Will include $1.35 million to allow for

increases in fuel cost from $0.94 last year to $1.00 (projected by State Budget Office) this year

– Will include $4.5 million statewide to increase average fuel price to $1.20 per gallon

• Additional allotment later in the year– (subject to local reduced idling policies?)

2004-2005 Allotments for transportation

• June 30 – State Expenditure Reports

• Local Expenditures – from TD-1– Due August 1; Some not turned in until

September– Auditing – especially the “OTHER” category

• Important to have all data in because all LEAs evaluated in comparison with other LEAs

2004-2005 Allotments

• Finalizing some local expenditures

• LEA approval of data

• Calculate Simulator Ratings– LEAs have had data for these calculations for

2 months

• Calculate New Funding Model Ratings

• Funding at higher level

• Two LEAs will use worst-case TIMS data

School Bus Inspection Manual Committee – NCPTA Representatives

• Ronnie Baldwin District 1 Buncombe • Rich Laird District 2 Mecklenburg• Robert Boggs District 3 Iredell• Jay Temple District 4 Davidson• Jeff Garmon District 5 Cabarrus• Ralph Trango District 6 Wake• Mickey Beasley District 7 Johnston• David Twiddy District 8 Dare• Frankie Floyd District 9 Craven

Alamance

Alexander

Alleghany

Anson

Ashe

Avery

Beaufort

Bertie

Bladen

Brunswick

Buncombe

Burke

Cabarrus

Caldwell

Camden

Carteret

Caswell

CatawbaChatham

Cherokee

Chow

an

Clay

Cleveland

Columbus

Craven

Cumberland

Currituck

Dare Davidson

Davie

Duplin

Durham Edgecombe

ForsythFranklin

Gaston

Gates

Graham

Granville

Greene

Guilford

Harnett

Haywood

Henderson

Hertford

Hoke

Hyde

Iredell

Jackson

Johnston

Jones

Lee

Lenoir

Lincoln

McDowell

Macon

Madison

Martin

Mecklenburg

Mitchell

Montgomery

Moore

Nash

NewHanover

Northampton

Onslow

Orange

Pamlico

Pasquotank

Pender

Perquiman

s

Person

Pitt

Polk

Randolph

Richmond

Robeson

Rockingham

Rowan

Rutherford

Sampson

Scotland

Stanly

StokesSurry

Swain

Transylvania

Tyrrell

Union

Vance

Washington

Watauga

Wayne

Wilkes

Wilson

Yadkin

Yancey

Wake

Halifax

Warren

NCSU Converted

UNCC Converted

Ready for Final ConversionJust waiting on final TDTIMS to pass

Waiting on GIS Data

In Process

RR

TIMS• TD TIMS Due November 1, 2004

– Now Overdue• TIMS-NT Implementation Status• Last Year for “DOS” TIMS reports

– Only a few months of DOS Support after conversion to TIMS NT• New Version of TIMS

– “Shuttles” to replace much of the function of Transfer Stops– Change thickness of lines in Autostreet– Visual of student-to-stop assignments– Can resequence runs with Check Points on them– Can open Run Record in ROUTE; Stop Records in RUN– “No Walk” feature for segments– Improved, faster DUMPALL– Reports Button shortcut– Improved Security

TIMS (Cont’d)

• GPS – Forsyth County

• Web School Assistant – Nash County– Principal can access demographics of

students for which they have authorization• Bus stops, Bus runs, etc

14th National Conference onSchool Transportation – May, 2005

National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures

North Carolina Delegation:

Charles Ball, DPIPhillip Benton, Stokes CountyDerek Graham, DPIHarold Laflin, Buncombe CountyToni Parlier, NCPTA, Watauga CountyChip Smith, DMV SBTSS, Union CountyJerry Wynne, Beaufort County

2005 Version to be available On-Line

Evacuation Training Recommendations from NTSB

• School Bus crash, fatalities

• Evacuation was not an issue in the particular crash studied by NTSB; however, the NTSB recognized that it could be.

NASDPTS Recommendations1. At least once each school semester, provide all students transported

to and from school in a school bus with instruction in the location and operation of all emergency exits. Also, provide supervised emergency exit drills to each student transported to and from school in a school bus.

2. Before departure on each school activity trip, provide all students transported on a school bus or school-chartered bus with instruction on the location and demonstration of the operation of all emergency exits.

3. Encourage the development of state or local school district policies limiting the amount of carry-on items, especially large items such as luggage, coolers, sports/band equipment, etc. on school buses and school-charter buses. Aisles and emergency exits in school buses and school-chartered buses must be kept clear at all times. Any item that is brought on board must be safely stowed and secured away from any aisle or emergency exit.

School Bus Safety Conference at N.C. State, Raleigh

• March 3 – 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. ($25)• Sponsors:

– Center for Urban Affairs– NC Pupil Transportation

Association– DPI Transportation Services

North Carolina Pupil Transportation Teleconference

November 18, 2004

1:00 – 3:30