An Economic Policy Institute study shows that school bus driver employment is still far below pre-pandemic levels. This means almost every district will likely face a driver shortage at some point. But the good news is that there are several strategies districts can try, either on their own or by combining different approaches, to tackle these challenges.
Join us to explore practical approaches for dealing with a driver (or bus) shortage, including:
- Student eligibility management
- Route tiering/bell schedule alignment
- Route/stop optimization
Brought to you by TransAct
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Presenters:
Duane Peterson
Transportation Director
Oconee County School District
–
President
Georgia Association for Pupil Transportation (GAPT)
Peterson started driving a school bus in 1986 while he was still in high school, where he drove for several years in the Athens, Georgia, area. After completing secondary school, he did his student teaching at Alps Road Elementary. He entered the private sector for several years before joining Oconee County Schools in 2005. He was Route Coordinator for a year before moving to Director of Transportation. He stayed there before joining Jackson County Schools in March of 2023 as Transportation Director, where he is still employed. Peterson is currently on the Executive Board of GAPT and a member of NASDPTS. He is married with 3 children and one grandchild with one more on the way.
Adrian Frierson
Director of Transportation
Hanover County Public Schools
Hanover County Public Schools has approximately 17,000 students and 24 schools operating within 2 tiers. They employ 190 bus drivers and 70 other support staff & administrative staff. Hanover County is located within the Greater Richmond Region.
Adrian Frierson is also an appointed board member, by the Governor, to the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities. He has 20 years of experience in the public safety and school transportation combined.
Previous experiences include:
– Supervisor of Bus Operations for Prince William County Public Schools
– Assistant Director of Student Transportation, Special Education, Chesterfield County Public Schools
– Transportation Specialist at the Virginia Department of Education
– Transportation Supervisor for Henrico Public Schools
– Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officer, VA State Police.
Tammy Cook
Senior Transportation Advisor
TransAct Communications
Before joining the TransACT team, Cook founded the App-Garden and led her team to create the Travel Tracker field trip product. She has worked extensively with K-12 school districts for over 30 years in finance and school transportation.
“I love helping school districts solve their daily challenges with the use of our technology and experienced personnel. Each district has their own challenges and helping to navigate those challenges Is the favorite part of my job,” Cook says.
