 Discover Maximum Efficiency with Tyler’s VersaTrans Consulting Services
Consulting Services Help District Adapt Transportation Operations to
Accommodate Growth
In April of 2005, approval of a building bond referendum
spelled big changes for Wauconda Community School District
118 in Wauconda, Illinois. The referendum called for the construction of a second middle school, additions and changes
that modified the configuration of the district’s high school, and improvements to other schools within the district, as well as to
its transportation and maintenance facilities. The district also planned to evaluate grade configurations at schools within the district for maximum efficiency.
Superintendent Daniel Coles and Transportation Director Diana Mikelski knew that the changes would have an impact on the district’s overall operations, including its boundaries and the distribution of its 4,200 students. They wanted to assess those impacts to ensure that whatever changes they made would make best use of the available facilities and the district’s 55-vehicle bus fleet. They knew that the data for analysis was available in VersaTrans, their routing and planning solution. But they needed some guidance, so they contacted VersaTrans for consulting services assistance.
VersaTrans assigned Consultant Merle Winn to assist Wauconda in analyzing the impact of the planned changes. Merle met with team members from Wauconda via conference call to assess their objectives and understand the changes that were planned. Throughout the engagement, he collaborated with the team via conference call, the Internet, and by exchanging facsimiles of key information.
Wauconda’s redistricting team conveyed that they wanted to understand the feasibility of moving from their current two-tier bell time system to a new three-tier system for the next school year once the new middle school opened. In response, Merle analyzed demographic information provided by the district’s demographer, along with current fleet and route information, and made key recommendations to the team. He also provided guidance and suggestions regarding boundary changes.
“VersaTrans’ software and consulting services assistance enabled us to determine our new boundaries and student distribution with the ease of clicking a button. Their consultants and support staff are knowledgeable and always extremely helpful when we ask for assistance with a problem,” advises Mikelski. “The consulting project was expedient, and Merle’s assistance made it easy for me to implement the changes once the analysis was complete. He produced analysis of our student population that enabled our Superintendent to prepare presentations for the Board regarding our proposed boundary changes.”
Following presentation and acceptance of final recommendations for the boundary and student distribution changes within the district, the Wauconda team was able to prepare and post a detailed boundary map. The map, which illustrates changes for the 2007/2008 school year, is on the district’s Web site to proactively communicate planned changes to the community. Transportation Director Diana Mikelski says of the consulting engagement, “Once again, VersaTrans has proven that they are the one and only school bus transportation solutions company!”
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