Tuesday, December 7, 2021

The wheels on the bus...

Student transportation is an important service that school districts offer to families. Some districts in the state of Minnesota operate their own transportation services while others contract for their services. The New London-Spicer School District contracts with Palmer Bus Service out of Mankato, MN. 

Our current scope of services with Palmer Bus Service currently includes the following:
  • Palmer Bus Service provides student transportation services within our geographical boundaries or as otherwise designated for students in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 including:
    • regular routes approved by the District for one round trip per school day to and from the school, including out-of-district stops for open-enrolled students as authorized by the district.
    • special needs transportation for students on an Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
    • field, athletics, and activities trips as authorized by the District, and
    • other services as needed and authorized by the District, including but not limited to between schools and education sites, late afternoon, and midday busing.
  • Regular to and from route times for resident students will not exceed sixty (60) minutes each morning and afternoon. Routing is the responsibility of the service provider subject to the superintendent's approval.
The New London-Spicer School District is unique in that it is surrounded by "hazardous crossings" including State Highway 9 and County Road 40. As a result, transportation to and from school is offered to all resident students. In most cases throughout the state, school districts offer transportation to only those students who live outside a one to two-mile distance from the school building in which they attend. Families living within that distance can choose to have their children walk to school or seek alternative transportation options. Our district's current transportation arrangement is a nice amenity for our students and families.

We believe it is in the best interest of our students and families to keep bus route times under sixty (60) minutes as much as possible. As a result of the referendum not passing in the fall of 2020, the school district made the difficult decision to eliminate one bus route which caused several bus routes to exceed sixty (60) minutes. Due to the referendum passing this past fall, we'll be adding the route back which will decrease the amount of time our students are on the bus during normal route times.

Another strategy in reducing the amount of time students are on the bus is to add neutral bus stop locations when conducting stops within the premises of a city. This strategy is utilized in most school districts and will continue to be developed and improved here in the New London-Spicer School District.

Although the New London-Spicer School District contracts for transportation services, we are responsible for the safety of our students and that remains our number one priority. Should you have transportation questions or concerns, they first should be addressed by calling the New London-Spicer Palmer Transportation Hub at 320.354.2414. If you need to further address those questions or concerns, you can communicate directly with your child's building principal who will determine the next steps. If the issue is not related to a child and is a community concern, those can be communicated directly to me by calling 320.354.2252 or via email at AdamsW@nls.k12.mn.us.



Our Role(s) in Educator Burnout, Recruitment, and Retention

 "Life is short, it is up to you to make it sweet." ~ Sarah Louise Delaney

Over the past 20 months leadership has been a challenge throughout the country. Some leadership positions are elected while others are selected. In most cases throughout the United States, new superintendents during this time were selected based on a districts' leadership profile. Others were in their respective position prior to the pandemic. In the end, we all chose to pursue the positions in which we occupy. Many of us have faced extreme pressures over the last 20 months and each of us has responded differently. I am using this platform to make a plea to my fellow colleagues and other educators to make this life of service sweet.

I am calling on all educators to be the greatest promotors of our service and we need to take that calling seriously. We all need to make a valiant effort to talk positively about our work. I have encountered a series of questions and statements over the past 20 months about my position and the positions of all educators in my organization, in the state, and throughout the country. In each of those exchanges I found myself thinking about how to paint a positive picture of the work we all do. Some of those questions and responses are provided below.

How are things going at school?
Each day presents new challenges but we have a tremendous team willing to meet those challenges head on and turn them into successes. 

I can't imagine what you're going though at school.
There is certainly a lot to juggle but many of us chose this profession because each new day presents new experiences. You never know what the day will bring which makes our work exciting.

Boy, I bet you're putting a lot of time in lately.
We, just like all professional positions, put in the time needed to get the job done. The difference between our positions and other positions is that we have the opportunity to have a positive impact on the lives of others. This work is important and we're happy to serve!

Aren't you stressed?
I relieve any stress in positive and healthy ways so that it does not have a negative impact on my work. I take things in stride and rise to the new challenge. In education, we work collaboratively to keep stress at lows levels and to help each other get through challenging times.

Those of us in the world of education and those serving our communities are responsible for recruiting people to this calling. We all need to do a better job of speaking positively about our profession to ensure people choose this as a vocation and change the trajectory of educator burnout, recruitment, and retention. Are you willing to embrace the fact that life is short, and it is up to each of us to make it sweet?

For me, challenge accepted!