DRIVING SUCCESS

It’s always good to see your work on paper come to life. I love the feedback that I get as well. I’m a big proponent of that. The drivers are actually out there.”

New transportation assistant director is an advocate for students and ambassador for employees

chool starts well before the tardy bell rings for the professionals who transport our students to their respective buildings every day. For many of those drivers, it starts before 5 a.m. That’s when they board the vehicles in the morning darkness to warm them up and make maintenance checks to ensure they are road-ready.

But while we depend upon them, upon whom do they depend so that their work is performed efficiently and with proper support?

Enter Annie Fullwood, the district’s new assistant director for ridership and customer service. Fullwood says her mission is to coordinate the logistics required to ensure that all students get to school safely and on time consistently.

Although challenging, the work is exciting to Fullwood. She understands the impact that drivers have on a student’s school day, and the importance of listening to the families and making every effort to address issues that parents bring to the forefront.

A former data manager, Fullwood cut her teeth on the work after her supervisor in Pamlico County asked her to step in as an interim transportation coordinator. She had also worked as a data manager in Brunswick County for an elementary school, high school, and early college, so she wasn’t entirely new to the tasks associated with the job. The South Carolina native has also served the Elizabeth CityPasquotank, Craven County, Johnston County, and Wilson County school districts.

In October, she brought her wealth and breadth of experience to Durham Public Schools.

“I really am happy to be here. I just hope that I’m able to make a difference and that I’m learning and imparting my experience with results,” she said.

She also serves as a bus driver’s ambassador and advocate. She wants the public to know that “drivers really do care about the kids,” she said. As a hands-on manager, Fullwood says understanding and compassion go a long way.

Just as important is data management, she adds. Student information and transportation must be on the same page, she insists. To that end, drivers need correct route sheets, and they need an opportunity to give feedback so that there is continuous improvement.

“It’s always good to see your work on paper come to life. I love the feedback that I get as well. I’m a big proponent of that. The drivers are actually out there,” she said. So she meets them where they are, visiting stops to investigate and “look at the big picture. Sometimes you have to go out into the field and listen to the drivers.”

Customer service begins internally with the professionals responsible for safe, efficient transport. Listening to parents is a priority as well.

“These are their babies, and if a parent is transferred to me, I try to fix it that same day. I believe in helping right away.”

Fullwood says her job requires re-evaluating stops, making sure stops are efficiently routed, making sure buses are on time, communicating with administration and parents, matching ridership information and real-time services, and complying with state requirements.

What most don’t know is that the district’s efficiency rating and its transportation budget are intertwined. “It’s an organized chaos that requires innovative thinking,” she says. How do you handle a 7:45 a.m. start time at a school when you can’t drop students off at the school until 7:15 and you have minutes before you have to be at the next school’s first stop?

And how do you handle bus driver vacancies when the demand doesn’t stop?

“I see what the challenge is, and I have to see it through,” she said. It’s a daily process with daily changes to our bus routes. There’s no stagnation in transportation. It’s always moving. Every single day, there’s an opportunity to learn and to improve. If we’re not doing that, we’re not doing what we need to do for our county and our students.”