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Florida Association for Pupil Transportation
Address: Florida
Phone: (407) 476-3278
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President's message
Hello,
I am Scott Pfender, Florida Association for Pupil Transportation (FAPT) president and director of transportation for Lake County Schools.
As our summer conference approaches, I will be ending my term as the FAPT president. I would like to begin by thanking you for allowing me the honor to serve in this capacity. FAPT has given me the opportunity to meet and work with so many student transportation professionals - not only directors but also bus drivers, driver trainers, monitors/attendants, vehicle technicians and clerical staff. In addition to the district employees, I've also been fortunate to partner with our vendor representatives and the Department of Education's transportation management staff. What is so unique about our profession is that each of those listed is a very important cog in the wheel of student transportation, none more important than the other. If you were to remove any one of them, we would lose efficiency. Remove more than one and our wheel might stop turning altogether. It has been a blessing and a privilege to work with so many who are passionate about what we do and who go to work every day with the idea of transporting our students as safely and efficiently as possible.
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Six years of Arby Creach
By Cindy Chan
Arby Creach is in the middle of a six-year-long journey with the Florida Association for Pupil Transportation (FAPT).
Creach describes this six-year job in stages - first, he was the president-elect for two years, then, as of July 2017, he will be the president for another two years and, finally, he will end his term as the past president for two years.
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Thank you
Thank you to all our exhibitors at our 2017 trade show. Our vendor partners make our conference possible and we could not do it without you!
Take a look at all of our fantastic vendor partners.
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Photo Credit: Seatbelt by Amy, Flickr. |
Seatbelts: One driver's perspective
By Cindy Chan
Rene Carpenter is a bus driver and driver trainer for Brevard County Schools - and she knows and stresses the importance of seatbelts on school buses.
Carpenter began her career in the pupil transportation industry as a bus driver for preschool-aged children. She eventually moved on to drive for Brevard County Schools, initially driving regular bases to now driving special needs children.
Continue about seatbelt safety.
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How to manage disruptive behavior on a school bus
By Cindy Chan
It may not seem like much, but a lot can happen during a 20-minute school bus ride.
That's why Cassandra White, assistant supervisor for Brevard Public Schools, is teaching a seminar to school bus drivers on how to manage disruptive behavior on school buses at the upcoming Florida Association for Pupil Transportation (FAPT) conference this year. According to White, middle-school students are usually the ones causing the most trouble on the bus, as they have to deal with so many changes - physically, emotionally and socially. As a result, the approaches with which to manage their disruptive behavior have to be strategic.
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Sun State Bus Centers technician training
Sun State Bus Centers recently conducted training for 12 Florida school bus fleets including Lee, Collier, Manatee, Highlands, DeSoto, Glades, Hernando, Sumter and Citrus. Also included were students from C and L Transportation, Palm Beach County, Broward County and local Vo-Tec schools to introduce them to the world of the yellow bus.
One hundred and forty-five techs attended the classes held on June 27, 28 and 29, who enjoyed a wide range of subjects from Cummins engines to electrical training. Sun State Bus Centers has a long-standing relationship with companies such as Cummins, Mitsubishi Electric, Meritor, MCC Air Conditioning and many more suppliers who have provided training in the past.
Continue reading about this event
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Key performance indicators unlock transportation industry's successes and shortcomings
Many school districts, including Hillsborough County Public Schools of Tampa, Fla., are member districts of the Council of Great City Schools, an initiative dedicated to bringing together "the nation's largest urban public school systems in a coalition dedicated to the improvement of education for children in the inner cities", according to the Council's website (cgcs.org).
James Beekman, general manager of transportation services for Hillsborough County Public Schools, attended the Council's Chief Operating Officers Conference from April 4 to 7, 2017. In addition to the COOs in attendance, individuals working in transportation, facilities, food services and safety and security were also in attendance.
Continue
reading
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Photo Credit: School bus by dhendrix73, Flickr. |
Will you have enough drivers to start the next school year?
By Bill Wen
With another year in the books, summer is a busy time replacing drivers that will or may not be returning. With an improving economy, hiring bus drivers become even more challenging.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the unemployment rate in the Florida was 4.5 percent as of April 2017, down from 5 percent in January 2017.
In addition to the improving economy, a number of other factors reduce or limit the available pool for employees.
Continue reading about factors that affect the
industry.
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Photo Credit: Money American by 401(K)2012, Flickr. |
Waiting on the Florida education budget
By Tammy Schuster
With the school year at an end and the Florida education budget in limbo, funding cuts are imminent and many are questioning where the impact will be felt first.
In June, Gov. Rick Scott vetoed the Florida Education Finance Program budget and called for three-day special session to address budget matters such as funding for tourism, economic development, university projects, public school education and infrastructure repairs. When the education budget was pushed to the side for more consideration, school districts across the state have been forced to be prepared for anything.
Learn more about Florida's education budget.
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