School Bus Fleet, January 2018

36 SCHOOL BUS FLEET JANUARY 2018 WWW SCHOOLBUSFLEET COM make the operation more efficient Hes my number cruncher Franklin says Meanwhile the transportation department has made big strides in getting buses running on schedule When Franklin came to Atlanta Public Schools the bus on time percentage was hovering around 70 As of last year the department had increased that metric to 94 Thats a massive improvement in a couple of years Franklin says To achieve that dramatic on time increase the department first had to tackle a critical maintenance issue school bus reliability Rebuilding bus maintenance Atlanta Public Schools fleet had been experiencing repeated breakdowns which triggered parent concerns and a local media exposé on the frequency of buses being towed Again Franklins approach to the problem started with addressing personnel He spearheaded an overhaul of the fleet maintenance team creating new leadership positions and technician positions with stronger skill sets and higher salaries see October 2017 issue pg 34 All of the new positions required ASE school bus and automotive certifications Some long term successful technicians were retained Roberts says that Franklin has fine tuned the fleet department by hiring more qualified technicians a new fleet manager and an operations manager On the technical side one of the key improvement areas has been in the fleets diesel particulate filter DPF program The department purchased a DPF baker and blower and has been cyclically changing out filters as part of preventive maintenance service The DPF program improvement led to a 61 decrease in Atlanta Public Schools number of school buses towed bringing down the costly tow invoices The department has also saved about 70000 in fuel with improved battery and charging system diagnostics And with the newer techs higher skills sets they are able to conduct some of the engine rebuilding work that was previously outsourced In addition to their technical expertise the new maintenance crew has exhibited strong teamwork One of the best outcomes of this reorganization has been the esprit de corps and professionalism exhibited by this group Franklin says They collaborate and coordinate on problem solving mechanical issues and they have great leaders Productive shops are more than just a conglomerate of technicians it is about leadership organization and having the right people committed to Atlanta Public Schools first core value of putting students and schools first Collaborating and connecting Having worked in three states Franklin has taken part in state pupil transportation associations in Texas Florida and now Georgia He is also a member of the National Association for Pupil Transportation and the Council of the Great City Schools In Atlanta Franklin collaborates with other local transportation directors within the Metro Regional Educational Service Agency RESA The Metro RESA which aligns with the Georgia Association for Pupil Transportations local chapter holds monthly meetings to address topics like safety training and transporting homeless students across district lines The RESA meetings become an integral part of discussing ideas in finding ways to support and help other districts says Lindstrom the former Marietta City Schools director who now serves as general manager of the TransPar Groups Hawaii office John has been an active member since he arrived in Atlanta and his input and ability to communicate has played a significant role As for Franklins impact at Atlanta Public Schools Roberts notes that the transportation departments struggles had set it on the path to being outsourced but Franklin brought the needed knowledge and skills to turn the operation around Atlanta Public Schools transportation department has experienced a complete positive overhaul because of John Franklins leadership Roberts says Layne the districts change management program director says that while more work lies ahead in the transportation departments transformation Franklins efforts thus far have bolstered the districts reputation for safe and reliable student transportation Atlanta Public Schools is happy to have a leader focused on both the technical and people side of an effective transportation department Layne says thomas mcmahon@ bobit com ADMINISTRATOR OF THE YEAR 7 Standards for Atlantas Transportation Team John Franklin and his transportation team at Atlanta Public Schools developed seven core norms for the department to tie all of their service elements together Those norms are 1 Put students and schools first 2 Commit to teamwork 3 Focus on communication 4 Demonstrate respect to others 5 Be accountable 6 Act with integrity 7 Embrace and drive change Franklin back row far right spearheaded an overhaul of the fleet maintenance team creating new leadership positions and technician positions with stronger skill sets and higher salaries