Oct. 14, 2011
Districts across the state
have been feeling the push to look closer at creating new ways to share
services.
Last fall, Berne-Knox-Westerlo and Schoharie central school districts
began a discussion that led to the sharing of a transportation director,
effective July 1, 2011, and the benefits have quickly gone beyond cost
savings.
The Schoharie Area Superintendents Council, which includes superintendents from Schoharie, Middleburg, Cobleskill-Richmondville, Sharon Springs, Duanesburg and BKW, met last year to look at enhancing current programs and exploring potential new shared services that could result in financial savings for the districts.
From there, BKW Superintendent Dr. Paul Dorward and Schoharie Superintendent Brian D. Sherman began discussing the idea of a shared transportation director.
“It looked like it would work,” Sherman said, “so we moved forward with the process.”
It was a process that took several months and many conversations between the districts.
“We had to figure out the logistics of sharing a transportation director, discuss the plan with our respective boards, negotiate the sharing of the salary and benefits for such a position, and have an inter-municipal agreement drawn up between the districts,” Dorward said. “It was after those steps were complete that we officially approached BKW's Director of Transportation Denise Towne with the concept, though she was aware of the merger as it was developing.”
Towne,
who had been the transportation director for BKW for the past year, now
serves as the director for both districts.
She said she spent the summer trying to learn as much about Schoharie as she could. She talked with dispatchers and drove around Schoharie district to familiarize herself with the roads and routes the buses take.
“Each district is different in how it runs, what its needs are, and the contracts it operates under,” she said.
Towne alternates days between each district and is always available to both departments and administrators by phone or email if she isn’t there in person. Armed with a laptop, she has all the information she needs for each district with her at all times as she oversees the 55-bus fleet at BKW and 32 buses at Schoharie. Her schedule also allows for flexibility to better meet the needs of both districts.
“If there is anything special involving transportation happening at one of the districts one day, I make it a point to be at that district,” she said.
Schoharie’s previous transportation director, Cliff Haslun, continues to be employed by the district as lead mechanic, a role in which he’s dramatically increased bus safety for Schoharie students. He also works closely with Towne, providing support as needed.
“The staff in both districts are very open and willing to work with me, which is making the transition that much easier,” Towne said. “They are still doing the day-to-day duties, which lets me focus not only on learning the operation, but also doing the administration side of the job.”
As transportation director, Towne manages both transportation departments, which includes everything from hiring drivers, overseeing training, addressing parent concerns, routing the buses, coordinating field trip and sporting transportation, managing the transportation department budget, making sure the department is in line with all compliances and regulations, and attending training herself.
“Denise is very capable in her position,” Dorward said. “We would not have contemplated sharing services if we didn’t feel we had a transportation director who could adapt so well to overseeing two departments without compromising the position in either district.”
Berne-Knox-Westerlo Business
Official Kevin Callegy said the agreement saves the district about
$45,000 a year.
Sherman said his district also saw financial savings, but that the
shared service has provided benefits beyond monetary.
“It’s worked out extremely well,” Sherman said. “Denise fits in well and is marvelous at what she does. Rather than splitting our service, we’ve enhanced it.”
Sherman cites Towne’s relationship with town supervisors in Berne and surrounding towns and the knowledge of road conditions throughout the area as a benefit to both districts, especially as Schoharie buses traverse through Berne on the way to Albany.
“It’s really to our advantage to have information on both sides of the district lines,” Sherman said.
Another advantage to sharing a transportation director is that it makes it easier to coordinate between districts in emergency situations.
“Having a shared
transportation director has resulted in the ability to share additional
transportation personnel if needed in an emergency,” Sherman said.
“Having the information and resources we need to back each other up is
extremely helpful.”
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