As more senior school transportation pros prepare to exit stage left, paths to leadership come in a variety of ways for taking over

By Julie Metea

As school transportation professionals age, and a recent School Transportation News survey indicated that 35 percent of readers are 55 years old and up, the next generation of leaders in both private and public sectors is stepping into a challenging landscape. They’ll face escalating cost crunches, consolidations, emerging technology and a variety of other issues, all of which require sharp business sense.

Where are these leaders coming from? What issues will they manage? How will they lead?

Take it from Veterans
The common thread of the new crop of leaders nationwide is the passion to safely transport children. Each one loves the industry for its care of students. As newcomers embark on their varied careers, one of the best resources is advice from veterans. Retired school transportation professionals often make themselves available through consulting and networking.

“Don’t be afraid to call. Don’t feel pressured at first to be the expert,” advised Dale Goby, the former transportation director at Detroit Public Schools and now a school transportation consultant. “The best quality is comfort in your leadership. But the challenges ahead will require new people to tap people in the field.”

New leaders can also turn to professional organizations for expertise and support. State-based groups, such as the Illinois School Transportation Association, can offer advice closer to home and provide management training.

“The best experience is hands-on. We’re not shy about hiring managers and giving them lots of responsibility,” said Paul Losos, a 19-year industry veteran who heads the Illinois association and runs Sunrise Bus outside of Chicago.

“The younger people will keep the business intact,” he added. “It’s 24/7, and you always have to be on your toes and love what you’re doing.”

School Transportation News spoke to just a few of the many “up-and-comers,” especially those among the private school bus contracting set, who are taking the reins at a critical point in the life of the industry.

Keeping it in the Family
For many private bus contracting companies, leadership succession doesn’t stray far beyond a tight network of family members or friends.

“Attracting people to the business can be hard. Our state has a lot of family-owned businesses, and we see the next generation coming into the fold. It’s usually passing the torch from parents to children,” said Selina Pittenger of the Pennsylvania School Bus Association.

The association recently honored three private contractors who have been in business for 75 years. Young leaders from the family are fueling hope for future success of those businesses.

One of the honorees is Althouse Transportation, located outside of Lancaster. The business is marking a milestone of installing a third generation of leadership. Twenty-nine-year-old Eric Althouse is the only one of three siblings who is joining the family business. At the urging of his parents, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree (in history) from nearby Millersville University.

While starting in the shop as a mechanic, he’ll slowly take the reins from his grandfather and father.

“I watched them run the business, and I always wanted to be part of it,” said Eric. “It’s a good business, and we have a good rapport with the community.”

The Althouse elders are mentoring Eric on the need to continue providing top-notch customer service. The business runs 35 full-size bus routes and 15 vans for special needs riders in a predominantly rural area. If there’s an opportunity to expand the business, Eric said he will look at the opportunity, but only as long as safety comes before profits.

“Safety is at the top of the list. If not it’s not safety-oriented, it’s not on the table,” he added.

Mentoring Finds New Leaders
Voyageur Bus Company in Duluth, Minn., found one its future leaders through mentoring. Since first grade, Peter Wslosinski, now 20 years old, had a fascination of school buses. He looked to his mentor, Voyageur’s former driver trainer John McKagan, to tell him stories about vehicles and the school transportation industry in general.

Not long ago, Voyageur hired Peter to wash school buses, and he eventually took the wheel as a bus driver.

“He’s an up-and-comer,” said Rudy Lundahl, Voyageur’s operations supervisor and Peter’s boss. “It takes three to five years to really become a professional. By the looks of it, he’s going to make a career in this industry.”

Peter has already earned a leadership award from the Minnesota School Bus Operators Association (MSBOA). He was the youngest of six statewide drivers nominated as one of “the best of the best in school transportation.”

“If you have leadership within your ranks, that’s the best case for the future. They are familiar with business, how to run it, the history. And they can continue to move the business,” said Tom Hey, who runs his own contracting business in addition to being the current MSBOA president. Wslosinski said he likes the bus contracting business and plans to stay with Voyageur to grow his career. He’s keenly aware of bus driver shortages and is thinking of ways to improve relationships, retain staff and minimize turnover.

“I expect a lot of myself. I want to do the best I can to make sure kids are safe,” he said.

Retention with Good Policy
Good employee policies are working in favor of companies that hope to attract and retain the next crop of leaders in school transportation.

Becki Mascarenas didn’t flinch when it came to returning to her leading role at First Student after a seven-week maternity leave with her third child. She had found a good work-balance, which made the decision easier to return to her position as a contract manager.

“I have an excellent staff and a great group of drivers and bus assistants that display excellent teamwork that has enabled me to be available for my family,” said Mascarenas, 39.

While Mascarenas maintained a steady, rising career in school transportation, her employers changed over two decades of acquisitions and conversions. In 1987, she started as a contract clerk while attending to college. Five years later, she became the transportation director for Ogden School District, which fully contracted with Mayflower in 1994. She experienced Mayflower’s acquisition by Laidlaw in 1995, and last fall First Student in-turn bought Laidlaw.

She now oversees First Student’s Ogden, Utah, operation, which consists of 40 buses and 60 employees. In the future, she’d like to manage a larger school bus operation and be among the top managers of the company.

“You have to be open to change,” she added. “The industry is constantly changing.”

Scouting the Best
Former Detroit Public School Transportation Director Dale Goby can say he left his mark on Michigan’s Wayne County. Not only did he oversee the county’s biggest school bus fleet, he also helped the ascension of the area’s newest transportation leaders.

Before working for the City of Detroit, Goby performed strategic hiring for the garage in the suburban Plymouth-Canton School District. He approved the hiring and promotions of Kurt Miles and Jason Tamer, who started as mechanics in the early 1990s.

The two men have had parallel careers — both rising to the top of the shop and into operational management roles. Today, both men are running their own fleets at neighboring public school districts. Miles, 45, became a transportation supervisor for the Plymouth-Canton Public School District. And Tamer, 41, is a transportation supervisor for Wayne-Westland Community Schools.

“They’ve come a long way,” said Goby, a 32-year industry veteran. “They’ve matured and grown up in transportation. I’ve always expected them to do big things.”

Combined, Miles and Tamer are transporting a big chunk of the county’s students. Mile’s school bus fleet in Plymouth-Canton runs 121 routes for 20,000 eligible riders. Tamer’s fleet in Wayne-Westland runs 74 routes for 7,200 student riders.

“It’s good fun and good competition,” Miles said. The two keep in close contact on personal and professional levels and share best practices.

Literally located a few miles apart, Miles and Tamer will face increasingly similar and tighter transportation budgets. Tamer said that they will continue their parallel careers of driving for efficiencies and training staffs for safety.

“We keep up on issues, because our districts are similar,” he said, adding that the mechanical backgrounds give both of them good insights into the industry.