Better bus route planning pays dividends
BY PAM BRANNON Gulf Breeze News news@gulfbreezenews.com

Franklin Hayes/Gulf Breeze News Gulf Breeze Middle School students prepare to load their busses for the trip home on Aug. 30. Administrators say the bus system is operating more efficiently this year.

The first week of school is over and the results are in: the school bus system is more efficient and punctual than last year.

Last year's shaky start prompted extensive media coverage and an in-depth school board investigation concerning copious bus route confusion. This year's start had its bumps but many agree that things are drastically better.

Richard Cobb, assistant principal of Gulf Breeze Middle School described the improvements as "fantastic."

"The few things we had to work on the first couple of days were minimal," Cobb said.

Before any of the regular agenda began at the Aug. 23 school board meeting, Santa Rosa District Superintendent John Rogers said he had to give some praise and recognition to one person above all others for making the first day of school such a success.

"It was his first time approaching a first day of school experience and he worked hard for many months to be ready and we cannot say enough good things - about Joey Harrell, our Transportation Director."

Rogers

The board agreed.

"This was such a different experience than last year's first day," board member Diane Coleman of Navarre said. "When my

Rogers

phone was not ringing at 3, then at 4, and at 5, and it still was not ringing at 7 or 8 or 9 p.m., I knew things were working well. This was a first!"

Harrell immediately pointed to his countywide staff including and especially those working for the district's bus contractor, Laidlaw Transportation. "These people, along with the drivers on all those 256 routes throughout the county, made it happen," Harrell said.

One concerned mother phoned the Gulf Breeze News offices Aug. 24 in distress about her daughter's bus ride home from West Navarre Primary. Samantha Van Pelt said her daughter came home at 4:15 p.m. that day. After a follow up phone call the next week, Van Pelt seemed relieved that things had improved.

"She has been coming home at a more reasonable time," Van Pelt said in reference to her kindergarten-aged daughter, Ava. "So far, it's been better. The first day she came home at a quarter to 5. The next day it was 4:30. Wednesday, Laidlaw made some route adjustments, and she was home at a quarter to 4."

Van Pelt said she had been in regular contact with Laidlaw and the administrators were working to correct another complaint she had about the bus' driver and air conditioning.

School Supt. Rogers said this was the first year that he received no calls on the first day of school concerning transportation. He said it was the smoothest first three days of school he had ever experienced, thanks to the transportation department.

School Board president Hugh Winkles said, "I have been working on this board for about 15 years now, and I cannot remember a smoother start to school. No one called us saying their students were not picked up. In the past year the school board really put the hammer down on the transportation department and Laidlaw, since we were very unhappy with a lot of things that had happened. But when things go well, I think we need to give as much praise as we do criticism."

Harrell said this school year so far they have 256 routes countywide, and 294 drivers, which gives them a 'bench' of 31substitute drivers. "Then we have seven who are currently out on medical leaves, and such. So they will be back some time soon, too," Harrell said.

He said the school district gets 25 new buses every year under their contract with Laidlaw, and each of those newer buses have air conditioners. Harrell said the school board purchased and installed 50 air conditioners for the older buses during the summer. Harrell said their goal is to get all buses air-conditioned.

Gulf Breeze News Writer and Editor Franklin Hayes contributed to this article.