Transportation Manager - IDEA Spears (Immediate Opening) - IDEA Public Schools

Role Mission: Provide safe transportation for up to 1,000 students on a daily basis while reducing operational cost. Successfully manage a team of up to 20 people as well as interacting and partnering with campus leaders to drive success. 

What We Offer

Compensation:

• Compensation for this role is set at an hourly rate ranging between $24.03 for 0 years of experience and $28.92
• This role is also eligible for a performance bonus based on team performance and goal attainment.

Other Benefits:

We offer a comprehensive benefits plan, covering the majority of the employee premium for the base medical plan and subsidizing the majority of costs for a spouse/domestic partner and children. Some of the special benefits we offer at IDEA include:

• Paid Family Leave: Eligible staff may receive up to 8 weeks of paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child, based on their tenure with the organization and caregiver designation.
• Tuition Reimbursement: Staff members may apply for up to​ 50% of tuition paid toward a qualifying degree program, up to $5,250 maximum per year subject to manager discretion and budget availability.
• Employer-Paid Mental/Behavioral Health: 5 face-to-face counseling sessions within a year, unlimited 24/7 telephonic counseling, and other work-life services available at no cost.

Other benefits include dental and vision plans, disability, life insurance, parenting benefits, generous vacation time, referral bonuses and professional development. IDEA may offer a relocation allowance to defray the cost of moving for this role, if applicable.

What You Bring -- Competencies:

• Communication skills: Being able to develop the Transportation Assisting Manager (if applicable) to be able to use listening techniques and nonverbal strategies to improve conversations
• Conflict Resolution: Being able to coach the ability to define and identify conflict styles, causes, and methods for handling conflict and improve the department’s or organization’s productivity
• Leadership: Have the ability to delegate and manage a wide variety of skillsets. It is important for supervisors to lead their teams in the most effective way by recognizing where the strengths are, where improvement is needed, and how to properly use the skillsets of each team member
• Time management: Be able to balance a heavy workload and time constraints while managing and delegating other employees and projects is an essential skills

Qualifications:

• Education:  GED or High School Diploma
• Experience:  Experience in the operation of large passenger vehicles; or an equivalent combination of experience and training; ability to manage student behavior
• License or Certification: Valid Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) with class P (passenger) and S (school bus) endorsements
• Completed bus driver safety training course
• Must be over 21 years old
• Pass alcohol and drug tests
• DOT Physical Examination
• Bilingual Preferred (English/Spanish)

What You’ll Do – Accountabilities:

The safe transportation of all students is the #1 priority. This will be achieved by having “0” preventable incidents/accidents.

• Potential candidates are screened and tested to show they possess or are acquiring excellent skills in operating a school bus
• Drivers are fully trained in Pre/Post Trip inspections
• Culture of safety is placed first in all they do. This means setting the example and holding team accountable for all safety initiatives
• Drivers maintain and carry up-to-date credentials at all times
• Drivers complete all required trainings on time
• Compliance with time schedules and applicable laws, codes, rules and regulations.
• Oversee the daily operations of the dispatch office; monitors two-way radios to effectively address bus problems, lateness and accidents.
• Receive and respond to drivers' accidents; drives to accident scenes and conduct internal accident investigations; gather information, take photos and assist students and staff; obtain accident reports from the highway patrol and police agencies.
• Receive and respond to emergency calls after hours and on weekends.

Maintain an efficient operation that does not exceed a Cost Per Mile is <$3.70

• Develop a schedule for all drivers that creates an environment where drivers are fulfilling their primary role of driving while on the clock
• Continuously audit team’s participation to ensure systems are not being abused. “Inspect what you expect”
• Monitor preventive maintenance to assure costly repairs are avoided
• Serve as a substitute Bus Driver when needed.

Create a work environment where team members thrive with a minimum of 85% transportation staff retention

• Manager will screen employees to ensure only qualified, quality, and dedicated individuals are brought on
• Will ensure employees understand expectations and work conditions before being hired

Maintain fleet in safe operating condition while having a 7% savings on maintenance cost over previous year

• Ensure that maintenance supplies are not over purchased
• Ensure PMs are done in a systematic order

Utilize Transfinder to create/update routes at the campus level.

• All routes are created and kept up-to-date
• No route exceeds 10% more than its rosters are rated for
• Driver records are kept up-to-date in Route Finder
• Student Records are kept up-to-date in Route Finder

Utilize Synovia to analyze reports

• Planned vs. Actual Routes
• Know when each bus should be at each stop and see when they arrived
• Generate and analyze reports of the fleet’s overall activity, then drill down into stop-by-stop data to see exactly how each driver and each bus is performing.

Provide excellent customer service

• Communicate with school site staff, administrators, parents and outside agencies to exchange information, coordinate activities and resolve issues, concerns and questions regarding transportation services, student behavioral problems and special accommodations for students.
• Communicate with school site staff, administrators, parents and outside agencies to exchange information, coordinate activities and resolve issues, concerns and questions regarding transportation services, student behavioral problems and special accommodations for students.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Campus Transportation Assistant Manager
• Campus Bus Drivers

We look for Team and Family who embody the following values and characteristics:  

• Believes and is committed to our mission and being an agent of change: that all students are capable of getting to and through college  
• Has demonstrated effective outcomes and results, and wants to be held accountable for them 
• Has a propensity for action, willing to make mistakes by doing in order to learn and improve quickly 
• Works with urgency and purpose to drive student outcomes 
• Thrives in an entrepreneurial, high-growth environment; is comfortable with ambiguity and change 
• Seeks and responds well to feedback, which is shared often and freely across all levels of the organization 
• Works through silos and forges strong cross-departmental relationships in order to achieve outcomes 
• We believe in education as a profession and hold ourselves to high level of conduct, professionalism and behaviors as models for our colleagues and students 

About IDEA Public Schools  

At IDEA Public Schools, we believe each and every child can go to college. Since 2000, IDEA Public Schools has grown from a small school with 150 students to a multi-state network of tuition-free, Pre-K-12 public charter schools.    

IDEA Public Schools boasts national rankings on The Washington Post and U.S. News & World Report’s top high schools lists. IDEA serves over 80,000 college-bound students in 143 schools across Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Ohio, and is on-track to maintain its legacy of sending 100% of its graduates to college.     

When you choose to work at IDEA, you are part of our IDEA Team and Family. You will work alongside team members who set and reach ambitious goals every day, are excited to continue to grow with IDEA, and work relentlessly to make college for all a reality. 

At IDEA the Staff Culture and Belonging Team uses our Core Values to promote human connection and a culture of integrity, respect, and belonging for all Team and Family members.  Learn more about our Commitment to Core Values here: https://ideapublicschools.org/our-story/#core-values

To Apply 

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