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Ogborn presents bus overview to SP board
Highlighting a routine final meeting for 2019, transportation issues and considerations had the South Putnam School Board’s full attention Wednesday evening.
Transportation Director Brad Ogborn presented various points of information to the board regarding the upkeep of school buses. He also provided input on South Putnam Schools being able to attract and retain bus drivers in the future.
Ogborn first provided information on the corporation’s four service vehicles, two of which have more than 230,000 miles on them. A 2010 Ford F-250 has 21,000 miles logged, with a 2007 F-250 having just over 80,000 miles. South Putnam also has three snow plows, three mowers, a tractor and a salt spreader.
He then moved to the overall issue of bus transportation, which generated feedback from board members on how long they are on the move, as well as how routes are determined.
To a question asked by board member Larry Bottorff about the average mileage accrued on a daily basis, Ogborn said that the “ballpark” for each bus was about 100 miles after the morning and afternoon commutes.
While individual routes may be longer than others, he added that South Putnam’s oldest school buses have close to 100,000 miles logged.
“I would say they’ve held up pretty well,” Ogborn said.
He also shared how the Versatrans and Zonar Ground Traffic Control systems are utilized to set up routes, as well as monitor what occurs at bus stops. Side-view video is also used to catch drivers who may disregard a bus’ stop arms, and it can be paused to identify a vehicle’s license plate number.
Board Secretary Wes Hacker asked if there were specific issues common among all the buses. Ogborn responded that body work and repair costs were the most prevalent, especially with rust forming in spots on the older buses. He also said that repairs can become a hassle after a warranty expires.
“The things which aren’t covered end up breaking,” Ogborn said matter-of-factly and with some humor.
However, to a concern raised by Hacker about whether a corporation mechanic could handle repairs, he added that Kerlin Bus Sales in Silver Lake could be consulted with any issues.
South Putnam has 24 regular (or “yellow”) school buses, as well as three white ones which are used to transport for extracurricular activities such as clubs, field trips, athletic teams and FFA groups.
Hacker expanded on Ogborn’s points about maintenance, asking if it was possible that the bus line could be expanded by one to two years, with the buses dating back to 2008 and 2009 coming up to their 12th year of service.
“I know there has to be a limit,” Hacker said. “I’m just wondering if it could be stretched into that 11th or 12th year to get as much as we can out of them.”
Ogborn said that this could be done, but that these older buses would require two police inspections per year instead of one.
He then shared data with the board comparing bus driver pay between South Putnam and other nearby corporations such as Vigo County Schools, even if they may be decidedly larger. He felt a large factor was placed on providing PERF and insurance coverage.
“It’s always come down to pay,” he said, though adding that if school officials could not accommodate a pay increase, different incentives could be offered to bus drivers to attract and keep them at South Putnam.
Ogborn provided that South Putnam has 12 full-time and 11 substitute bus drivers. Still, he cautioned that most of the full-time team are older in age. This means that physical health, and a want for younger drivers, becomes more of a concern.
“I think that if I were to have two more full-time bus drivers, that would be ideal,” Ogborn said.
He shared that one applicant indicated that he would come to South Putnam if this happened. What it came down to was being unable to pay into insurance. As such, Hacker encouraged Ogborn to consult with Superintendent Bruce Bernhardt on wages and incentives.
Hacker finally brought up a question of how bus drivers and others may get in touch with transportation to address urgent needs. He recognized bus drivers can’t talk on the phone while driving, mainly asking if a system could be created to sync Ogborn, the drivers and the schools together.
Ogborn said that his personal policy is to respond to calls and messages within 24 hours after receiving them. However, he agreed with Hacker’s point that how to address urgent and last-minute transportation needs was something to think about for the future.
In other business, the board approved a request by Bernhardt to transfer appropriations between the corporation’s funds, so that they may be balanced out. He provided that this was an annual responsibility.
The board also approved another request by Bernhardt to open up a student transfer window during next month. This window will be open to students in grades 6-12 outside of the corporation.
The board also recognized South Putnam’s Students of the Month:
- Willa Holderfield, Central Elementary School;
- Tinley Ames, Fillmore Elementary School;
- Landon Chew, South Putnam Middle School; and
- Cada Remsburg, South Putnam High School.
Holderfield was unable to attend the meeting.
The board also approved the following personnel report:
• Resignation: Clint Witt, bus driver;
• Retirement: Richard Knapp, bus driver;
• New hires: Kayla West-Roberts, part-time Fillmore Elementary instructional assistant; and Gabe Burkhardt, junior varsity baseball coach.
Board Vice President Anthony Heavin was absent from the meeting.
The next meeting of the South Putnam School Board is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. in the South Putnam MS/HS Learning Center.