The Kellogg Joint School District operates a fleet of 29 buses with a staff that includes 5 full time drivers and a 3.5 FTE mechanic in addition to the regular part time drivers. The district has a 10-year replacement procedure for buses that is closely adhered to. The transportation facility that is presently being utilized is a major liability to the district in its current condition.

Observations and Recommendations

__________________________________________________________________

The district has completed a needs assessment for transportation.

Recommendation

The district should initiate a thorough process to evaluate facilities and procedures and revisit the transportation needs assessment previously presented.

Transportation facilities are inefficient and have serious maintenance problems.

Recommendation

Review options to update present facilities and compare with costs at different locations that would address adequate garages, storage and driver activities.

There is a perception that the cost of transporting special activities to another school district is a disproportional amount of the budget. This includes alternative classroom, pre-school, and special education.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the district study, review, and analyze policies and procedures to determine if the present plan is the most efficient process to educate the students involved and then communicate findings to the board of trustees. The study and review should focus on cost efficiencies and effectiveness.

Equipment in the transportation department is old and in poor repair, which limits the department’s ability to service district owned vehicles. As a result, many transportation operations are contracted out.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the district devise a long-range plan for replacement of garage equipment that would mirror the strong bus replacement procedure.

2.11.5    Observation

The district does not have a replacement schedule for district owned vehicles.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the transportation department, in concert with the superintendent, develop a district vehicle replacement plan.