Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District in Houston, Texas, is the third largest school district in Texas, with 92 campuses and a student population of over 116,000. Director of Transportation Dr. Kayne Smith is kept extremely busy coordinating transportation for thousands of students.
Before HopSkipDrive Keeping transportation in-house
Prior to working with HopSkipDrive, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD was transporting students designated McKinney-Vento and students in foster care with their in-house fleet: a mix of school buses and vans.
The pandemic brought an incredible amount of uncertainties. While Cypress-Fairbanks had traditionally kept transportation operations in-house, Dr. Smith and his staff decided that it would be beneficial to bring in outside help in the event of a driver shortage or other operational challenges that may prevent service for McKinney-Vento and foster transportation.
Students experiencing homelessness and in foster care were most challenged due to interrupted learning, so Dr. Smith knew he needed to ensure these populations got to and from school.
The Results
Using HopSkipDrive has been a seamless process. In fact, Cypress-Fairbanks’s operations coordinator says it is the “Easiest McKinney-Vento process compared to any other school year.”
The experience has been so smooth that Dr. Smith has never once gotten a phone call or email with any issues — from parents or his staff. He says, “In my job, no news is good news. And HopSkipDrive has been all good news.”
Conclusion
While Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District was traditionally an in-house transportation operation, they decided to outsource their McKinney-Vento and a portion of foster transportation to HopSkipDrive. The experience has been smooth and stress-free for transportation staff, and incredibly beneficial for students designated McKinney-Vento and those in foster care.
