District Administration - February 2009 - (Page 36)

Alternate Transportation Routes times to help bus routing. “When you schedule the bell times more efficiently, you’re not reducing transportation, just changing the time of it,” he notes. St. Lucie officials, who worked with TransPar on transportation changes, altered the bell schedule for several of the district’s 47 schools to save money. They also created an express bus run with fewer stops for a new magnet-type school that has students spread around the district. Using data from automatic vehicle locating technology on the district’s buses, similar to a car’s GPS, they tweaked other bus routes as well. “Something like the bell schedule, which will let you get as many as four runs out of a bus, is the key to efficiency,” says Bob Riley, executive director of the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services. “Those kinds of considerations not only save on fuel, they save on the personnel costs, which in transportation are significant. It’s easier to retain drivers when you can offer six to eight hours of work daily, compared to more drivers at three or four hours.” Riley notes that compared to students traveling to school in an automobile, the bus is much better for the environment. However, about half of kids come to school via car, according to the most recent statistics from the Federal Highway Administration. Parents might be worried Students at the Dommerich Elementary School in Florida take part in a bicycle and walking program, which encourages more physical activity while helping the environment. about child safety, or teenagers might not want to be seen on the bus, which for some students is “not cool.” But the trend can be aggravating for a district, which still needs to run buses to those routes since on any given day a student who usually comes to school by car might need to ride the bus. Zero Emissions There are many benefits to having more kids walk, such as that when fewer students need the bus, routes can be altered to save time and money. St. Lucie used this strategy, bringing in $2.4 million from Safe Routes to School (SRTS), a federal program that provides funding to install new sidewalks and make other changes that increase the feasibility and attractiveness of walking or biking to school, which emit zero hazardous chemicals. More than 4,000 programs nationwide have received SRTS funds since the $612 million program was launched in 2005. The funding is distributed to indi- First Steps for a Walking Program The National Center for Safe Routes to School recommends seven steps for getting started on a safe-routes-to-school program. 1. Bring together the right people. Identify community members with diverse expertise who want to make walking and bicycling to school safe and appealing. 2. Hold a kickoff meeting. At the first meeting, create a vision and outline next steps. 3. Gather information. Knowing the current situation will help you to identify needed program elements and allow you to measure the impact of the program later. 4. Identify solutions. Consider a combination of education, encouragement, engineering and enforcement strategies. Safety is the first consideration. 5. Make a plan. Don’t get bogged down with something too lengthy or cumbersome. Include a time schedule for implementation. 6. Get the plan and people moving. Hold a fun kickoff event, such as Walking Wednesdays, when students are encouraged to walk one day weekly. 7. Evaluate, adjust and keep moving. To sustain the program, consider building additional program champions and letting people know about your successes. vidual state departments of transportation, each of which distributes the funds to local governments that apply. “Usually a district will ask for funding to support a planning phase—some money for a walking audit to assess what elements it needs to address to make walking more attractive,” says Raquel Rivas, marketing manager for the National Center for Safe Routes to School. “The money can also go to infrastructure improvement, like sidewalks, striping, signage, as well as for crossing guards and education and encouragement for students.” The first International Walk to School Day in the United States was held in 1997, and it has since grown to be a monthlong activity, with 42 countries participating. The Auburn (Wash.) School District has used SRTS grants the last three years on everything from new stop signs to education about the benefits of walking. About 85 percent of the students at Pioneer Elementary School now walk to school, for example, eliminating the need for six buses. Better yet, the school has gone from one of the lowest performing schools in the district to one of the highest, according to Jim Denton, the district’s former director of transportation and now a consultant on school transportation issues. “It takes a lot of variables to accomplish that, but the kids at school are fit and alert because of how they get to school, and they work with their teachers outside of the classroom on issues like safety—that’s got to help,” he says. Auburn schools and the city work together to target specific schools for the program that are best suited for a walking campaign, due to factors like which sites are located on and near quiet streets and District Administration 36 February 2009

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District Administration - February 2009 Contents Advertiser Index Editor's Letter News Update Security Curriculum Crisis Response Supervisor's Opinion The Rise of the Virtual Teacher Speaking Their Language Alternate Transportation Routes Opinion The Aftermath of the New 403(b) Regulations How Well Does This Web Site Work? Problem Solution New Products Product Focus Professional Opinion

District Administration - February 2009

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