St. Louis McKinney-Vento Regional Transportation Network Steve Weeks & Jim Troxell, Ferguson-Florissant School District Deidra Thomas-Murray, St. Louis Public Schools Denitria Neil, Hazelwood School District October 26, 2014

The St. Louis McKinney Vento Regional Transportation Network This collaboration is a process and systemic change from how MV transportation has traditionally been done in the St. Louis area. The idea is that by building partnerships, we can do this much better (and cheaper!) together.

Transportation is a HUGE piece of the McKinney-Vento legislation It’s the law It’s the right thing to do It’s expensive! – For the district of origin – For the district of temporary residence (50%, or more, of a district’s cost) It can be problematic in many ways…..

The Problems: Increased Exposure to a Variety of Dangers Accidents Incidents with other students Driver issues Early drop-offs & late arrivals Tardies causing missed breakfasts Lack of supervision after drop- off at school, etc

The Problem: Reliability Issues With Transport Provider Early or late pickups Cab no-shows Poor service Strain on resources/hours/costs of staff staying late

Problems / Issues With Drivers Different drivers Trust issues of drivers on the part of guardians (background checks, other issues) Poor judgment or behavior on the part of drivers or dispatchers

The Problem: Communication Issues Poor (or untrue) communication: From parents to transportation company or schools To parents from transportation company From district to parent or transport company Student’s school lacks information School or parents do not know how to respond to transportation problems

The Problems: Stigmas & Perceptions Stigmas associated with abnormal school transport Public perception, including board members Entitlement & expectations on the part of the parent and/or stakeholders

The Problems: Transportation Challenges May require multiple cabs for one family due to different grade levels Sometimes unavailable/limited Transporting younger/smaller students can be problematic or even refused Charges for student no-shows – What percentage of your MV transportation costs are for no-shows?

The Problems: Complaints!! Complaints to & from cab company, school staff, administrators, homeless liaisons, district staff, community stakeholders & board members. Many of these are complaints are legitimate!

Question… On average, how much time per day do you, your staff or the district spend on listening to and resolving complaints? Multiply that number by 180. How many hours is that per school year? What would you do with this number of hours per year if they were ‘given back’?

The Ferguson Florissant School District Goals…..IMPROVE! Improve on-time performance / reliability Stakeholder satisfaction Control over services Increase Trust (Parents, Students, Schools) Safety Improve Attendance, which makes for increased learning & higher test scores

The Ferguson Florissant School District Goals…..DECREASE! Complaints Tardies and Late Pickups Costs Absences

The Key Factor in Getting Administrative Support Was……. Lowering Costs / Saving $$

In the beginning: The Baseline McKinney-Vento Transportation Costs $835,495

Year One Improvements: McKinney-Vento Transportation Costs $530,644! Difference of over $300,000 savings More students were actually transported than the , all at a MUCH lower cost. Providing ‘tuck-ins’; students displaced within the district but not living in the school of origin attendance area. Every daily cab was on average $47 saved (per cab, not child). Eliminated all no-show charges, resulting in great savings for money that was essentially wasted / down the drain. Bus mileage is reimbursable by the state, resulting in added revenue to the district. This began adding money by transporting MV students, in addition to saving money. In MO, cab mileage is not reimbursable.

Year Two Improvements McKinney-Vento Transportation Costs $498,397 (approximately $32K savings) Again, transported more students than , at a lower cost – Continued decrease in cab use – Continued increase utilization of buses – Increased skill and hard work of transportation staff serving HT routes

A Key Turning Point Began transporting our district’s displaced students from outside FFSD Neighboring districts were charged $20 per transport; cheaper than cabs and other systems Saved neighboring districts costs Other districts no longer incur a charge for no-shows

Hitting a Savings and Service Plateau Savings were excellent but flattening out without controlling costs that were incurred from other districts. To reach the goal of decreasing costs, other districts would need to participate in the process. Were other school districts interested in instituting a similar MV transportation program?

Inter-District Experiences Ms. Deidra Thomas-Murray, Students in Transition & Foster Care Coordinator, St. Louis Public Schools Ms. Denitria Neil, Families in Transition and Foster Care Programs, Hazelwood School District The Rube Goldberg rule.

Transportation Director Experiences Mr. Jim Troxell, Transportation Director, Ferguson-Florissant School District

Requirements Communication and relationship building with other districts Transportation department be supportive and involved Administrative support (board and district administrators) Requires a shift in thinking of what MV transportation should look like (not as easy as you’d think!)

Money Talks If you are interested in developing a Regional Transportation Network, the calculator is your friend! (Money talks, everything else walks, or cabs, or…) Remember, however transportation is provided, there will be costs. You just have to be able to show that it can be done cheaper. The fact that it’s also better is a great bonus!

Expenses Buses Software Labor costs Before or after school care (occasionally)

Questions? Steven W. Weeks: Jim Troxell: Deidra Thomas: Denitria Neil: