Miami-Dade Moves Forward with Preparation

By Julie Metea,
School Transportation News

On any given day, a Miami-Dade County public school bus faces significant road blocks, even before the ignition is turned on.

As the fourth largest U.S. school district, Miami-Dade County Public Schools are centered in one of the nation's highest crime areas. With South Florida 's continued growth, the area is among the worst in traffic congestions and population shifts. In addition, South Florida 's weather trends are a cause for concern.

Despite the challenges, it still maintains total fleet of about 3,600 vehicles, of which approximately 1,600 are school buses, used to manage the transport of 72,000 students to school each day during the regular school year. At the helm, Transportation Director Jerry Klein is leading the operations with a delicate balance of new technology and community relations.

Lessons from Hurricanes and Hijackings

Today's school transportation policies and practices are shaped - in part - by two significant events: a high-profile school bus hijacking and Hurricane Andrew.

On November 2, 1995, a hijacker threatened to blow up a school bus with eleven students and a driver in South Dade County, if he could not negotiate with the Internal Revenue Service. As police chased the bus, the hijacker used the children as human shields and ordered the bus driver to keep in motion. Swat teams shot and killed the man without serious injury to the driver or children. However, the aftermath included a critical need for counseling and rethinking safety procedures.

On August 24, 1992, Hurricane Andrew wiped out a large part of South Florida. In the aftermath and rebuilding, the community learned how to protect citizens and utilize their resources, including school buses.

Klein and his colleagues responded with community outreach, safety training and technology applications. The district lucked out last year when Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne strayed to the north of Miami and hit the central east coast of Florida, with Hurricane Charley staying on the west coast and Hurricane Ivan ravaging the Gulf Coast.

Today, the Miami-Dade public school transportation department assists with hurricane evacuations. It also developed a "down pat" routine for corralling the school buses, covering the computer equipment and getting generators running. And each driver is trained to recognize strangers and check for tampering.

Paving the Way with Technology

Beginning this year, new transportation technologies are protecting buses, guiding operations and saving money. A staff core business planner identified products and prepared investment proposals for the school board, which recently approved more than $1 million for a number of applications.

"You need to spend money to save in the long run. That's good business," said Klein, who oversees a $96 million budget with additional capital expenditures.

Next year, the transportation department will begin using a new centralized routing system from Edulog Education Logistics, Inc. The computer-based tool helps planners eliminate duplication and calculate the best routes based on traffic and bell times. Klein indicated the system will help them identify efficient configurations and cut more than 400 of their 1,600 routes.

"Miami has a large student population that often changes addresses. The traffic is thick and hard to navigate, especially for buses going to magnet and special education schools. There may be only 20 students on those buses, but they have a long way to go," said Carter Young, sales support manager, Edulog.

Other recent investments - the Transman Fleet Maintenance System and the E.J. Ward Fueling System - will help operations become more efficient, according to Klein. The Transman system helps manage maintenance schedules, parts inventory and warranty recovery. And the E.J. Ward product allows the department to fuel and maintain 4,000 buses and 1,600 other school service vehicles.

"We'll have significant savings in warranty costs alone. The fueling system helped us reallocate 19 fuel attendants. We'll get our investment back," he said.

Additionally, the department is testing a GPS system on 100 buses. "We believe GPS changes the culture. People know they're being watched but protected, as well. Everybody benefits," Klein added.

Community Interactions

With unique demographics, the Miami-Dade school system works out issues through community groups and minority-owned transportation operators. The district manages education for a population that swells during the winter and speaks three languages (English, Spanish and Haitian Creole).

With families attracted to the area's special needs programs, 40 percent of the transportation centers on students with disabilities. The district also transports students to a large number of magnet, gifted alternative and experimental schools. Some parents feel the trips to these schools have been less than perfect.

"I feel bad for the parents who have to work full time and can't battle the system," said Rosy Ramos of Parent-to-Parent, a special needs support group for South Florida families.

Ramos explained she spent a lot of time on transportation problems for her 17-year-old disabled daughter, who has been bused to school since age five. She alleges the buses operated for years without air conditioning and often left her family stranded with unpredictable schedules. After working with school administrators, Ramos indicated the issues were addressed, and she even had an opportunity to provide "sensitivity training."

"It's fine now, but in the beginning, it was a grade 'D'," said Ramos.

The community also helps the district to protect children against crime. Parents, politicians and law enforcers in the City of Miami Beach recently worked together to pass an ordinance that forbids convicted sex offenders from living closer than 2,500 feet from schools and bus stops.

Partners in Transportation

The Miami-Dade School system operates with local transportation suppliers and 3,000 employees who maintain and administer the transportation department. As of June 9, Klein said 20 private school bus contractors were approved to operate about 275 buses and 56 of the district's approximately 1,400 routes. The companies also perform field and activity trips.

"Many people get in and out of the business here. Every day we battle crime. We battle traffic, but we love it when we hear someone say we've done a good job," said Fran Martinelli of Franmar School Bus Services, the district's largest bus supplier.

The company started 27 years ago and grew with the city, and lessons along the way helped keep them in business, according to Martinelli. She indicates the biggest challenge is finding and retaining good drivers.

"Some of our drivers have been with us for 20 years, but it's hard to find enough good ones. You completely count on them," she added.

Klein says he also tries to reward and recognize his staff and drivers with an annual family get-together. During the event, drivers compete in bus rodeos and pick up information about health care and social services.

"I'm blessed with a lot of good people in their field," said Klein. "We're on track and getting better."

Source: School Transportation News, August 2005. All rights reserved.