Mule Creek State Prison Wastewater

The old transportation facility is run down and decrepit, and provided a poor working environment for department employees.

The new transportation facility provides a modern and safe environment. When the Grand Jury first contacted the Transportation Department in September 2006, the Grand Jury was told that the Transportation Department would move into the new facility within two to three weeks. The Transportation Department did not move into the new facility until Spring Break 2007.

The Transportation Department needs stability in its leadership.

The Transportation Department needs additional bus drivers and more bus driving training. The Transportation Department has trouble recruiting and retaining bus drivers 38 because positions are part time and involve split shifts.

ACUSD pays more for charter buses and rental vans to transport students involved in extracurricular activities than it costs to use school drivers and buses. On one occasion, ACUSD hired a charter bus to transport an athletic team to a play-off game. However, the bus got lost. As a result, the team arrived just minutes before the game was to begin.

The radio frequency utilized by the Transportation Department has experienced constant interference by other entities since May 2006, causing problems with radio communication between drivers and the Transportation Department office. As a result, the Transportation Department spends additional resources monitoring radio calls from buses each day. The Transportation Department has obtained a new frequency but has yet to implement it due to licensing issues.

At the start of the school year, the bus digital security system was not working properly. The Transportation Department corrected the problem.

Student behavior on school buses is getting worse. It is very difficult for drivers to enforce the rules and curb misbehavior.

Communication between ACUSD and the Transportation Department needs improvement.

The Transportation Department will be hindered by ACUSD’s proposed budget reductions (March 2007) for the 2007-2008 school year.