Last year, transportation issues at Poplar Bluff R-1 read more like horror stories than first day of school drama for parents and administrators, including then-new Superintendent Scott Dill. Traffic jams, children unaccounted for, and late bus arrivals were just a few of the issues plaguing the initial days of the 2016-17 fall semester.
This year, Dill said students weren't alone in their first day jitters, and that he himself lost many nights of sleep worrying and analyzing another potential nightmare. But thanks to strategic communication and thorough planning, Poplar Bluff's transportation efforts on Aug. 17 seemed more like a pleasant dream.
"What a difference a year makes, huh," Dill said with a smile. "I think there were several factors at work."
He said first and foremost, the district is beginning the second year in its new facilities.
"The balance of our patrons and our kids knew what they were doing," he continued.
Dill said he made it a priority to communicate well with the people who were changing facilities and made sure they understood the traffic flow at their new locations. There was also good internal communication throughout the district, from transportation to the buildings and from the buildings to central office, he added.
"It really was a group effort," Dill said.
According to Transportation Director Ronnie Martin, 36 buses run twice a day, everyday at Poplar Bluff.
"We were very intentional about the way we went about this work. It was good, solid planning and solid execution of the plan," Dill said.
Superintendent of Finance Rod Priest said the location of certain new facilities changed the amount of bus traffic, specifically at the middle school, because considerably more kids qualify to ride the bus than did when it was the high school.
"The transportation department looked at those numbers and this year we dedicated some routes specifically for middle school students," Priest said. "That took some of the burden off. When they leave here, they're running middle school only so they're not making a stop at the junior high."
Dill said about 50 percent of the 5,000 member student body utilize bus transportation and said there are also a few dedicated kindergarten only buses "to run those children in a timely manner."
According to last year's reports in the Daily American Republic, some students didn't make it home until 6:30 p.m. on the Sept. 1 start date. This year saw nearly a one hour improvement to that time, which Dill expressed was a welcome relief.
"This first day of school, we had all of our kids accounted for by 5:45 p.m.," he said. "And really it was just a few stragglers at that point. Everyone was actually home about 15 or 20 minutes before that."
Even the one potential negative, when Bus 30 broke down en route after school, was handled quickly and efficiently. According to Martin, he arrived in a fully-functional bus approximately six minutes after he received the call.
"Mr. Martin was out and about and was able to transfer those kids in a matter of minutes," Dill said.
Priest said a consistent challenge at the beginning of every school year is the discrepancy between morning and afternoon bus riders.
"We have a lot of kids who want their parents to take them on the first day of school and so they take them and then tell them to ride the bus home," he said. "Then in the afternoon, a bus that was half-full in the morning is completely full. It's rough on the drivers too, because they don't realize where the kids live. But after that first day, it usually works itself out."
Dill said he has taken phone calls in the past from patrons concerned about bus overcrowding, and wants to make it clear that buses will not run if overcrowded.
"A bus at capacity of 71, is going to be three in a seat, but it is safe and it's designed to handle that capacity," he said. "Usually, there are big groups of kids that get off buses very quickly, so even though they may roll at capacity, they're very quickly letting those kids go."
Parent pick-up and drop off congestion was also a major issue in 2016, with traffic at the middle school backing up down Westwood Boulevard, on the first day and to Shelby Road, at the high school. Dill said he chalks improvements in this area up to familiarity.
"I think it's just familiarity with the procedures and with the facilities themselves," he said. "This year, I don't even think we backed up to Highland Drive, at the middle school and we may have been on the bridge at the high school, but I think some of that was the (stop) light."
At Thursday's Board of Education meeting, Dill and middle school principal Dr. Brad Owings announced a new dismissal system called KIDaccount, which utilizes technology designed to streamline the after-school process. The program is scheduled to roll out this fall and will increase accountability and efficiency, Dill said.