School buses move hundreds of students

Sisters school buses move an average of 692 students a day on nine routes around the district.

"I have nine routes that are in yellow school buses," said school district Transportation Supervisor Angie Gardinier. "Then I have two routes (for special needs students) that are going in other vehicles that are out of the district."

The school district is mandated to provide transportation across the district, even to areas where there are few students. Buses do not travel down gravel roads; students that live off the pavement must gather at pickup points on nearby paved roads.

That poses some challenges for Gardinier in trying to build efficient routes. For example, only a few students ride the bus to Black Butte Ranch and Camp Sherman each day, so Gardinier has tried to use that bus to sweep up other kids.

"I've put the SOAR kids on that bus," she said. Some 20 to 31 students are on that bus in the morning and 40-44 in the afternoon.

"That bus also picks up students on Indian Ford Road," Gardinier said.

Sisters' big buses theoretically hold 84 students, three to a seat. That can work for elementary school kids, but it's not realistic for older students. The buses hold 56 students, two to a seat and usually ride somewhere around that number.

Of course, the numbers on the buses vary at any given point on a route.

Why not use smaller buses to transport students on the more sparse routes?

According to Gardinier, there is little difference in cost between the larger and smaller buses and the larger ones are more versatile.

Gardinier has nine drivers to cover the nine routes. All of them have been with the district for years.

"My newest driver just got her five year pin this year," Gardinier said.

Gardinier herself steps in to drive when needed, especially on special needs routes.

Drivers receive a minimum of 16 hours of classroom and behind-the-wheel training in order to qualify to take the test to be a bus driver. Then there are regular refresher courses. In addition to driving skills and safety training, drivers must also learn pupil management skills and first aid.

"Even if someone came to us as a truck driver, there would still be things that are new and different that they wouldn't have done even though they have a commercial license," Gardinier said.

It's a demanding job that pays $19.50 an hour at the top of the scale. Drivers work in the morning and then again in the afternoon in a split day totaling 4.75 to 4.5 hours. In addition there are field trips and sports trips.

"It's as weird as it gets," Gardinier said of the schedule. "It takes a special person to do this job. I think it's the kids that keep them coming back."

The Sisters School District budgeted $469,030 for transportation for the 2008-09 school year. $91,283 of that is allocated for fuel. The State of Oregon reimburses 70 percent of the district's transportation costs. Educational field trips are covered, but sports trips and any other extracurricular trips are not.

Gardinier is feeling much better about finances since diesel prices started falling from peaks over $4 per gallon earlier this fall.

"I'm all diesel," Gardinier said. "It (skyrocketing prices) was very frightening."

The supervisor monitors the fuel consumption on each bus and there are protocols for minimizing fuel consumption such as minimizing warm-up and idling time and reminding drivers to avoid "jackrabbit starts."

Close attention to maintenance also cuts fuel use - and keeps the buses in safe operating condition.

Safety is, of course, the transportation service's top priority, especially as the region slides into winter.

Each route bus carries drop-down chains that can be activated quickly and mechanically. Drivers train on snow.

Drivers also communicate via radio to warn each other of icy spots, especially black ice, which is not visible to the eye. Drivers report any incidents of sliding so Gardinier can debrief them and alter procedures or routes.

Last year, a bus with students aboard slid off an icy street in Squaw Creek Canyon Estates. There were no injuries or damage to the bus, but the incident required investigation.

Gardinier said that the incident occurred while the bus accelerated away from a stop on an uphill incline. The bus couldn't get traction and momentum and instead moved sideways off the roadway.

Gardinier said that she determined "that we needed to move the stop itself when the roads are icy."

Sisters' buses don't have seat belts. The bus seats are designed to protect students in a crash. Some safety experts believe that seat belts pose more risk than benefit. Improperly fitted seat belts can cause injuries and some worry that seat belts could trap passengers in a crash.

"There's such a controversy," Gardinier said.

The Sisters School District currently goes with the opinion of former head of the Oregon Department of Education's Pupil Transportation division Deborah Lincoln, which is that no seat belts are the preferred option.

Gardinier is proud of her dedicated staff of drivers and the district mechanic and believes the district lives up to its mandate to provide safe and efficient transportation to and from school and school events for all the students of the district whose families choose to put them on the big yellow bus.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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