The votes have been tallied and the six teams receiving the highest scores based on anonymous staff surveys were named Top Transportation Teams in North America for 2024.
The winners are: Franklin Township Community School Corp., in Indiana, the lone repeat winner; Central Kitsap School District, in Washington; The School District of Haverford Township, in Pennsylvania; East Peoria Elementary School District 86 in Illinois; Wa-Nee Community School Corp., in Indiana; and Waterloo Central School District in New York.
The first Honorable Mention was also the first bus contractor to be recognized since the award’s inception last year: Palmer Bus Service, based in Minnesota.
What’s it take to be a Top Transportation Team? What are the necessary ingredients? The winners each had specific reasons behind what contributed to their winning the award.
For Kyle Johnson, director of logistics and operations at Central Kitsap, becoming a Top Transportation Team started with a vision.
“We started our cultural transformation journey together. We envisioned exactly what the culture could and should be,” he said. “And now we have very high standards rooted in inclusivity, safety, professionalism and family who support and serve our students, families and community.”
Communication was another important theme among the winners.
“The team does a good job of communicating concerns and working toward solutions,” said D’Allah Laffoon, transportation supervisor at Waterloo Central. “We built a good culture where staff feel comfortable in achieving the goal and having fun.”
Sherry Sarver, transportation dispatcher at East Peoria, said her team “thrives in a positive work atmosphere.”
Like other transportation departments, concerns that come up include issues related to bus repairs, navigation, route changes and time-off requests.
“Working together to find solutions that accommodate everyone can create an overall positive result,” Sarver said.
Todd Livesay, director of transportation for Franklin Township Community School Corporation, whose team was a repeat Top Transportation Teams winner, said a key aspect to the win was the focus on each individual effort.
“Every team member has played a crucial role in our success, bringing their unique skills, passion and perseverance to the table,” said Livesay.
Specifically related to winning the award two years in a row, Livesay said his team “continued our processes and upped our training and support. Everything we do one year, we build on it the next to make it better. I feel like the culture is built on a high level of support and continued training.”
Transfinder Technology and Support an Integral Partner
In some respects, Transfinder technology was also seen as a key team member.
“We are proud of the partnership and relationship with the Transfinder team,” said Trace Johnson, director of student routing and technology at Palmer Bus Service in Minnesota, which took home the first Honorable Mention award. “Thank you [Transfinder] for all you do to help us be successful.”
Transfinder’s solutions and support played a role in Franklin Township winning the Top Transportation Teams two years in a row.
“Transfinder really has been a partner with us, part of our team for several years now,” Livesay said. “Anytime we need anything they are right there for us. Their solutions have definitely helped to get us where we are and we use everything we can. So Transfinder is a big part of it [the win] and definitely a teammate of ours.”
Matthew Hostetter, assistant director and fleet manager at Wa-Nee, agreed.
“Wa-Nee Community Schools has used Transfinder since 2006 and it has been an integral part to the routing of our district, making things more efficient, helping with just everything.”
Wa-Nee was the top vote-getter among the winners.
“Making the switch to Routefinder PLUS was a huge undertaking for our department after using another software platform for 25-plus years,” said Joanne Furia-Jamgochian, route coordinator at the School District of Haverford Township. “This was a team effort and a testament to our entire department that worked together to embark on the change.”
She said having easy-to-use tools played a role in her team’s cohesion and means a great deal to her department.
“Technology and resources are extremely important in transporting students as the information must be accurate and the tools easy to navigate,” Furia-Jamgochian added.
Sarver said she’s looking to add more Transfinder technology to help her team reach their future goals.
“Our main goal for the future is to improve our efficiency by continuing to expand our technology,” she said. “This last school year was our first year implementing Routefinder PLUS through Transfinder. The transition has made our navigation, routing, planning and communication between parents and staff exceptionally convenient. We will soon be adding (driver app) Wayfinder to our new fleet of buses and look forward to utilizing the tools that this new system has to offer.”
Learn more about Transfinder award-winning solutions and support by visiting Transfinder.com, calling 800-373-3609 or emailing getplus@transfinder.com.
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