Transcript Transportation Update

Hot Topics:
10 Current Issues In Pupil
Transportation in North Carolina
Derek Graham, Section Chief
Transportation Services
NC DPI
Local PRC 56
•ELIGIBLE EXPENSES
•To/From School Transportation
•Yellow buses
•Grades K-12
•INELIGIBLE EXPENSES
•Maintenance of Activity Buses
•Maintenance of all local vehicles
•Parts and Labor
•Mileage for field trips
Local PRC 56
• Eligible local expenditures – reported on TD-1
• Local expenditures reported to DPI for all PRC’s
monthly
• DEFINE: Local PRC 56 for ELIGIBLE local
transportation expenses
• DEFINE: PRC 706 for all OTHER transportation
expenses
– Field trips
– Activity Buses
– Local Vehicles
• Eventually can replace the finance part of
TD-1 Annual Report
Chartering Motorcoaches
• Legislation required State Board of
Education to report on appropriateness
of policies for school activity trips
• All LEAs surveyed; report submitted to
legislature in March, 2004
2003 State Budget Bill
• SECTION 7.25.(c) The State Board of
Education shall study the adequacy of the
safety rules and policies adopted by local
boards of education regarding the use of
activity buses. The State Board shall report
the results of this study to the Joint
Legislative Education Oversight Committee
by March 15, 2004.
Revised Recommended Guidelines
for Chartering Motorcoaches for
School Activity Trips
• To be released any time now….
• Revised pre-trip checklist
– State Highway Patrol video in the works
• Acknowledgement of Safety Record of
Motorcoach Industry
• Best practices – Consortia
– Many LEAs contracting with a consultant to do
site visits
Purchasing - Senate Bill 620
• It shall be the duty of local boards of education to
purchase or exchange all supplies, equipment and
materials in accordance with contracts made by or
with the approval of the Department of
Administration.equipment, and materials, and
these purchases shall be made in accordance with
Article 8 of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes.
These purchases may be made from contracts
made by the Department of Administration.
State Board Policy EEO-H-008
Purchase of School Bus Equipment
•
LEAs, for safety reasons, shall purchase all school buses, school bus replacement
tires, brake pads, brake shoes and brake hardware only from the statewide term
contract. The Department will confer with the Division of Purchase and Contract on
a yearly basis to determine whether technological changes necessitate an amendment
to this policy.
• Required to be Purchased from State Contract
– School Buses
– School Bus Tires
– School Bus Braking Equipment
• Not required to be Purchased from State Contract
– Everything else – Including Activity Buses
School Bus Replacements – The
financed purchase of school buses
• 460 IC Buses financed through CCMI
– 39 IC buses direct-purchased (LEAs getting
only 1 or 2 replacements
• 750 Thomas/Freightliner Buses financed
through Daimler-Chrysler Services at a
negative interest rate
– 31 IC buses direct-purchased
Status of Finance Payments
• International Buses –
– 1st payment issued by DPI on your behalf upon delivery
October – February
– 2nd payment to be paid in September/October
• Thomas Built Buses
– 1st payment issued by DPI on your behalf upon delivery
February – July
– 2nd payment being paid August 1
• LEA notification with allotments
2005 Replacement Buses
• 2004 School Bus Contract
– Most buses awarded to Thomas Built Buses
– 66 and 72 passenger Wheelchair Lift Buses awarded to
IC (International)
– All activity buses awarded to Thomas
• Separate bid for financing on the street to finance
about 600 school buses
– LEAs can use financing contract for Activity Buses –
work out details with the vendor.
Environmental Issues
• Impact of school buses on the overall condition of
the environment: Small percentage of the problem
• Effect of Diesel Exhaust on Children – Since
children are in and around school buses
• Lots of attention on this issue – we have a
responsibility to work toward cleaner air for the
kids and to set a good example as government
entities
Environmental Issues
• National Initiative – Clean School Bus USA
• State Initiatives
– Air Quality Grants – Priority for School Buses
– Bio-Diesel use in Durham, Chatham Counties
– League of Women Voters / Child Advocacy
Task Force – position paper
• Common theme – need for Anti-Idling
Policy
Anti-Idling Policies
• No idling longer than what is needed to
build up air pressure
• Buses should not be parked “nose to tail”
when it can be avoided
• Buses should not be parked on school
grounds near building air intakes
• Bus Driver Commitment Cards
• Recommendations issued by DPI
– Followed by State Board Policy?
Dashboard Stickers
Sent to all Transp. Directors
Recommended Policies
TIPS FOR DRIVERS
• Do not idle your school bus for longer than five
(5) minutes to build up air pressure. Additional
idling does not help the school bus get warmer.
• Do not idle your bus while loading or unloading
on school grounds.
• Driver must be within 3 feet of the bus while it
is running. No exceptions!
Salary Increase for
School Bus Drivers
• $1,000 for non-certified full-time and part-time employees
• Most bus drivers are in one of these categories:
– Full time driver (40 hours per week) - $1000
– Part time driver (20-39.9999 hours per week) – Salary increase pro
rata based on hours worked
– Split funded position, full-time – combined cafeteria-bus driver,
TA-bus driver, etc - $1000 from combined sources
• About 20% of bus drivers are employed only as school bus
drivers and work less than 20 hours per week.
– Legislation does not require a prorated salary increase
– The block grant for transportation (PRC 56) will be increased for
LEAs that provide the increase to these drivers
– 63 cents per hour
Sample Calculations
Two Examples: Hourly Increase for Part-Time
Employees based on
200 days per year (180 school days plus vacation,
sick, in-service, etc)
Hours Worked
Per Week
(Per Day)
Annual Raise (R)
Hours Worked
Per Year (H).
Hourly
Increase
(R / H)
35 ( 7 hrs/day)
(35/40) x $1000 = $875
7 hrs x 200 days
= 1400 hrs.
($875 / 1400 )
= $0.63
22.5 (4.5
hrs/day)
(22.5/40) x $1000 =
$562.50
4.5 hrs x 200
days = 900
hrs.
($562.50 /900)
= $0.63
NTSB Recommendations –
Emergency Evacuations
• Require pre-trip briefings before school- related
activity trips on school buses or school-chartered
buses and subsequently assist the States in
developing criteria for such briefings, to include
training all students regarding the location and
use of emergency exits.
Public Transit Agencies
•
•
•
•
Receive federal money
Allowed to provide “school tripper service”
Use of 15 passenger vans
Need to look for alternatives to contracting
with local transit organizations
Study of Funding Formula
• Current funding formula implemented in
1990-1991
• Lots of changes in the past 13 years
• Funding based on previous year
expenditures
• Local funding impacts ratings and funding
Study of Funding Formula
• Lots of changes in past 13 years
– No Child Left Behind
– Pre-School and Head Start
– After school and other remediation
• Need to add programs without source for
additional state funding
Study of Funding Formula
• RFP Authorized by State Board
• Expected funding authority did not
materialize
• Next Steps ???
New Federal Requirements
• School Bus Drivers must have a CDL with a
Passenger (P) Endorsement and a NEW
School Bus (S) Endorsement.
• Recognized in all states
• Effective October 1, 2005
Fiscal Impact of New
Endorsements
• FEES: G.S. 20-37.16 (d)
“The fee for a Class A, B, or C commercial drivers license is ten dollars ($10.00) for each
year of the period for which the license is issued. The fee for each endorsement is one
dollar and twenty-five cents ($1.25) for each year of the period for which the
endorsement is issued. The fees required under this section do not apply to employees of
the Driver License Section of the Division who are designated by the Commissioner.”
•
•
•
•
$10 x 5 years = $50 license
$1.25 x 2 endorsements (S&P) x 5 years = $12.50
Application fee: $20
TOTAL FOR NEW DRIVER: $82.50
Responsibility for Payment
• Exemption for school bus drivers was
deleted in this bill
• There was no fiscal note attached to this
bill; no funds appropriated
• State funds may not be used to pay school
bus driver’s license fees
Hot Topics:
10 Current Issues In Pupil
Transportation in North Carolina
Derek Graham, Section Chief
Transportation Services
NC DPI