ON THE MOVE
Dallas ISD Student Transportation Services
August 3, 2023
WELCOME BACK!
Welcome back Student Transportation Services, the hardest working team in all of Dallas ISD. Dallas ISD drivers and monitors drive student success and all of us work as a team to make it happen. We missed you over the break and we are glad you are back to be part of what is sure to be our best year yet. Every service center greeted our fantastic Student Transportation Services team with breakfast, music and an overall appreciation for that which our drivers and monitors do on a daily basis. We've got a few new gadgets and gizmos which we think will assist us in our quest to become the exemplar pupil transportation service provider in urban education. Let's make it a great year and stay safe out there!
Change is Upon Us at All Service Centers
Work is getting ready to begin at each of our service centers (except for Pat Raney) and everyone should begin seeing movement in the very near future. Expanded restrooms, improved parking lots, great improvements to the shops, kitchens and better lighting are just a few things headed our way. Each service center improvements are different. The estimate for these improvements is roughly at 10 million dollars. More information on what each service center is getting will be shared in the near future.
Pat Raney Service Center Update
The Pat Raney Service Center got a new sidewalk this summer increasing the level of safety between the parking lot and the service center main office building. Pat Raney Service Center will continue to run shuttles from the staff parking lot which is not paved to the office and "hill". These measures are taken to increase safety by decreasing the amount of uneven ground employees are expected to navigate.
Additional Service Center for STS
STS will be transitioning out of the Pat Raney Service Center with completion of the transition scheduled for summer of 2024. The first phase will begin with the relocation of our drivers for special needs students by December 2023. These drivers and monitors will be moving with their routes to Lawnview, Kleberg and to our new location at 2419 Cockrell, Dallas TX 75215. None of the Pat Raney routes will be moved to the North Dallas Service Center. Beginning January 2024, we will operate out of 5 service centers and back to four service centers by summer, 2024 by which time we will have transitioned out of Pat Raney. We are working diligently to make sure the transition is as smooth as possible.
Professional Development August 8, 9, 10
We will engage in Professional Development next week at two different locations. Lunch will be provided on all three days.
Pat Raney will attend PD at UNT and the other Service Centers will be at the old Edison Building on Singleton.
There is no free parking for staff at UNT unless each vehicle would like to pay (non-refundable $5.00 parking fee). Buses will take staff from Pat Raney to UNT.
There is limited parking at Edison and we need for all staff to ride the shuttles from their service centers to Edison on Singleton.
We have some great information to share and look forward to seeing you there.
Extreme Heat Conditions
Empty Bus Program
This is a reminder that we have an empty bus program, which is critical during extreme weather conditions as we are currently experiencing. Essentially, the empty bus program states the following:
- At the completion of the last stop and at the end of each route, the driver must walk to the back of the bus and inspect around and under all seats for any students and/or items that may still be on the bus. The driver should also open the back door and look under the seats.
- If a monitor has been assigned to the bus, the monitor is equally responsible for inspecting the bus for students in accordance with this procedure.
Stay Safe
Please follow tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for preventing heat related illnesses. Click on the link below to read about these tips. Make sure you stay hydrated while on your routes and dress appropriately. Additionally, because of the extraordinary heat we are currently experiencing, students will be allowed to bring water bottles on board while we remain in sustained over 100-degree weather.
Bus Rules
Bus Rules must be posted in every school bus. Please let your supervisor know if your bus does not have a sticker containing the bus rules so that we can get a sticker for your bus.
Student Discipline System on the Transportation WebPage
The Student Discipline Referrals are now available online at www.dallasisd.org/transportation . Look for the tab labeled, Student Discipline and complete the form. These forms will automatically go to the Service Center manager who is now in charge for processing these referrals.
EduLog/ Samsara
We have a new multi-million-dollar software and equipment which will be implemented during the 2023-2024 school year. This multi-faceted system is replacing Tyler and Zonar which means the pre-trips will be different as well as the tablets and other equipment. We also purchased the student card scanner which will allow students to scan as they enter the bus, replacing the need for handwritten ridership data. This feature will not be available until January 2024. Training on our new system including how to conduct pre-trip inspections will be covered during the PD on the week of August 7, 2023.
Uniform and ID Badge / Visiting Schools
All Student Transportation Services employees must be in uniform and must wear their ID badge while on District property. When visiting campuses to use the restroom, all school rules for employees who do not work in that building are in effect including having to show their badge and having to sign-in at the front door. While we are all employees of the same district, we are guests when we visit schools and must follow their rules.
Selfies with the Executive Director on August 3, 2023
A message from our Director of Fleet, Duran Hargest
Fleet Services would like to welcome back all the drivers and monitors of Student Transportation Services. We’re working on a new (Request For Proposals) RFP to purchase new school buses this school year. Please be patient, the school bus industry is just now starting to bounce back after COVID-19 took the world by surprise. When we start replacing our fleet, all 900 series and 1000 series buses will be replaced with 30P and PM buses. Student Transportation and Fleet are working together to collect data on ridership to get the buses we need to make both departments more efficient and dependable this school year and beyond.
Update on Electric School Buses
We just found out we were awarded two additional electric school buses from TCEQ for a total of 19 electric buses. We’re in the process of purchasing the EV charging stations this month. Once the EV chargers have been purchased, multiple departments within the district will begin working together at Lawnview to get this project moving.