DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION

About the role

The Director of Transportation provides leadership, direction, and oversight for all school district transportation operations, ensuring safe, reliable, efficient, and student-centered transportation services for approximately 13,200 students across 26 school sites. The role oversees a fleet of more than 100 school buses and other district vehicles, leading all aspects of transportation operations including student routing and scheduling, driver and support staff supervision, fleet utilization, regulatory compliance, safety, training, technology systems, parent and school communication, budget management, performance reporting, and continuous improvement.

Essential Leadership Responsibilities

Department Leadership & Accountability

• Provide overall leadership and strategic direction for Transportation Services.
• Establish annual departmental goals aligned with district priorities and student outcomes.
• Develop clear expectations, procedures, accountability measures, and performance standards for transportation personnel.
• Supervise, evaluate, coach, and develop transportation supervisors, dispatchers, drivers, monitors/aides, mechanics, office personnel, and other assigned employees.
• Develop leadership capacity within the department and establish clear lines of authority and responsibility.
• Conduct regular operational meetings and communicate expectations, priorities, performance data, and safety information.
• Maintain an organizational structure capable of responding effectively to daily operations, emergencies, staffing shortages, and changing district needs.

Student Transportation Operations

• Direct daily transportation services for approximately 13,200 students and 26 school sites.
• Ensure routes are designed and operated safely, efficiently, and consistently.
• Coordinate regular education, special education, extracurricular, athletic, field trip, and other district transportation needs.
• Monitor route performance, including on-time arrival, ride times, route capacity, mileage, and operational efficiency.
• Establish processes for addressing late buses, uncovered routes, double runs, substitute drivers, mechanical failures, and other service disruptions.
• Coordinate transportation schedules with school start and dismissal times.
• Work collaboratively with school administrators to resolve transportation concerns affecting students and families.

Routing, Technology & Data Management

• Provide leadership for the effective implementation and use of district transportation technology, including Transfinder, Stopfinder, and Infinite Campus.
• Transfinder: Maintain and optimize student transportation routes; evaluate route efficiency, capacity, mileage, travel times, and stop locations; identify opportunities for consolidation and operational improvement; ensure routing information is accurate and updated as student enrollment and transportation needs change.
• Stopfinder: Ensure accurate and timely transportation information is available to parents and guardians; promote effective use of parent communication, bus location, scheduling, and notification features; establish procedures for communicating significant route changes, delays, and service interruptions.
• Infinite Campus: Ensure student demographic, enrollment, school assignment, address, and transportation information is appropriately coordinated with transportation systems; develop processes to maintain accurate student transportation records; collaborate with district enrollment, student information, technology, and school personnel to resolve data discrepancies; ensure transportation systems are appropriately integrated and data is regularly reviewed for accuracy.
• Develop dashboards, reports, and performance measures that allow district leadership to monitor transportation performance.

Safety & Regulatory Compliance

• Establish a department-wide culture in which student and employee safety is the highest operational priority.
• Ensure compliance with applicable federal and state laws, Oklahoma school transportation requirements, district policies, CDL requirements, and other applicable regulations.
• Ensure required driver licensing, physical examinations, certifications, background requirements, and training records remain current.
• Develop and maintain procedures for pre-trip and post-trip inspections.
• Ensure required student checks are completed following each route.
• Establish procedures for accident and incident reporting, investigation, documentation, and follow-up.
• Review accidents, injuries, safety incidents, and near misses to identify trends and corrective actions.
• Coordinate emergency transportation procedures with district safety and emergency management personnel.
• Ensure employees receive required and ongoing safety training.

Fleet Management

• Provide administrative oversight for a fleet of more than 100 school buses and other assigned district vehicles.
• Develop short- and long-term fleet replacement plans.
• Monitor vehicle age, mileage, maintenance history, repair costs, downtime, and utilization.
• Ensure preventive maintenance and required inspections are completed on schedule.
• Coordinate with maintenance personnel to maximize vehicle availability and minimize service interruptions.
• Maintain appropriate spare-bus capacity.
• Develop recommendations regarding bus purchases, replacement cycles, equipment specifications, and emerging transportation technologies.
• Monitor fuel consumption and other fleet operating costs.
• Maintain accurate vehicle records and documentation.

Personnel Management & Development

• Develop effective recruitment and retention strategies for bus drivers and other transportation employees.
• Maintain appropriate staffing levels to support reliable daily transportation.
• Coordinate driver assignments, substitute coverage, overtime, and additional-duty transportation.
• Ensure new employees receive appropriate orientation and training before assuming independent responsibilities.
• Establish ongoing professional development for transportation personnel.
• Promote professionalism, accountability, customer service, and positive relationships with students.
• Address employee performance and conduct concerns promptly and consistently in coordination with Human Resources and district leadership.
• Recognize high-performing employees and encourage a positive departmental culture.

Student & Family Customer Service

• Establish Transportation Services as a responsive and service-oriented district department.
• Develop clear procedures for receiving, documenting, assigning, and resolving parent and school transportation concerns.
• Ensure families receive timely, accurate, and respectful communication.
• Monitor recurring complaints and identify systemic issues requiring operational changes.
• Coordinate with principals and other administrators when student behavior affects safe transportation.
• Ensure transportation decisions consider student safety, instructional time, attendance, accessibility, and family needs.

Special Education Transportation

• Coordinate with Special Education Services to provide transportation required by student IEPs and other applicable plans.
• Ensure appropriate vehicles, equipment, drivers, monitors, and accommodations are provided.
• Monitor specialized routes for efficiency while maintaining required student services.
• Ensure employees transporting students with disabilities receive appropriate training.
• Maintain confidentiality and comply with applicable student privacy requirements.

Budget & Resource Management

• Develop and manage the annual Transportation Services budget.
• Monitor expenditures for personnel, overtime, fuel, maintenance, parts, equipment, technology, contracted services, and vehicle replacement.
• Develop multi-year financial projections for transportation operations and fleet replacement.
• Evaluate expenditures based on safety, operational need, efficiency, and impact on students.
• Identify opportunities to reduce costs without compromising student safety or service quality.
• Assist with specifications, purchasing, bidding, contracts, and vendor management.
• Hold vendors accountable for contractual performance and implementation timelines.

Performance Management, Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve a comprehensive Transportation Performance Dashboard.
• Present the Transportation Performance Dashboard monthly to the Executive Director of Operations and the Assistant Superintendent of Operational Services.
• Provide analysis of performance trends, operational concerns, emerging risks, corrective actions, and recommended improvements as part of each monthly presentation.
• Identify areas that are not meeting established performance expectations and develop specific corrective action plans, responsible personnel, and timelines for improvement.
• Use dashboard data to establish departmental goals and measure progress toward those goals.
• Maintain historical performance data to allow district leadership to identify trends and evaluate year-over-year improvement.
• The Transportation Performance Dashboard should include, at minimum, appropriate measures related to:
  • On-time route performance
  • Routes scheduled versus routes successfully completed
  • Number and percentage of routes fully staffed
  • Driver vacancies
  • Driver attendance, absenteeism, and retention
  • Substitute driver availability
  • Number of double runs
  • Average student ride time
  • Bus capacity and utilization
  • Daily fleet availability
  • Number of buses out of service
  • Preventive maintenance compliance
  • Vehicle downtime
  • Road calls and mechanical failures
  • Accidents and preventable accidents
  • Student and employee injuries
  • Miles traveled
  • Fuel consumption and cost
  • Overtime utilization and cost
  • Cost per transported student
  • Cost per route and/or mile
  • Parent and school transportation concerns
  • Average response and resolution time
  • Stopfinder utilization and communication performance
  • Transfinder routing accuracy and efficiency
  • Student data accuracy between Infinite Campus and transportation systems
  • Employee training and certification compliance
  • Other indicators identified by district leadership
• The Director will use the monthly dashboard process to identify problems, recommend solutions, assign accountability, establish timelines, and demonstrate measurable improvement.

School & District Collaboration

• Work collaboratively with district administration, school principals and site administrators, Special Education Services, Athletics and Activities, Student Information Services, Technology Services, Finance and Purchasing, Human Resources, Safety and Security, Maintenance and Facilities, parents and guardians, transportation vendors and service providers, and appropriate local and state agencies.
• Proactively communicate transportation issues that may significantly affect students, families, schools, district operations, safety, or finances.

Emergency & Incident Response

• Serve as a primary transportation leader during emergencies, severe weather, accidents, evacuations, and other operational disruptions.
• Maintain transportation emergency response procedures.
• Ensure the Executive Director of Operations, Assistant Superintendent of Operational Services, and other appropriate district leaders are promptly notified of significant transportation incidents.
• Coordinate transportation resources during district emergency operations when requested.
• Participate in after