Each and every school day, 39 buses travel all across the City of Kingsport with the singular mission of transporting thousands of children safely and efficiently to their school.  It is a monumental logistical task that is skillfully accomplished by the women and men of the KCS Transportation Department.  But how do they do it?  What is involved in accomplishing this mission?

This week in the Saturday Six, let’s take a look at six tidbits related to the Kingsport City Schools Transportation Department.

1. How many miles do you think KCS buses travel in a year?  Those 39 buses are driven by a staff of 44 full and part-time drivers, covering over a half-million miles within the Kingsport city limits each year!
2. Those bus routes don’t just take place before and after school.  Mid-day runs take place to accommodate new Pre-K classes at Roosevelt and Washington Elementary Schools.  There is also a full-time shuttle between the main Dobyns-Bennett campus and D-B EXCEL to allow students to access programs and educational opportunities at both locations.
3. You may have seen discussions in the news recently about seat belts on school buses.  Did you know that KCS is the only school system in the eastern end of Tennessee to have seat belts on all buses and as a part of school board policy?  It’s just one more commitment KCS has taken to provide the safest environment possible for students!
4. KCS transportation is responsive to the ever changing needs of our students and schools.  Two new routes have been added since the start of the school year to alleviate overcrowded buses and to shorten the length of bus rides to some of the more distant outlying areas.
5. Great training is a critical piece of the KCS transportation mission.  Our “New Driver” training has been praised by State officials, who provide feedback about how well new KCS drivers are prepared when they test for their CDL licenses and endorsements.  KCS has also been invited to share this driver training program to set a standardized training program in the local 14 county TAPT (Tennessee Association of Pupil Transporters) district.
6. KCS transportation also helps support the terrific community partners that serve our students.  After-school runs take place to three different Boys & Girls Club and Girls, Inc. locations from eight different KCS schools.

Thanks so much to the men and women of the KCS Transportation Department for the key role they take in supporting our students and families!

Next week in the Saturday Six:  We’ll take a look at the great things happening all across KCS in our libraries and media centers!