School Training Solutions Expands Online Training in Missouri
“It’s always very exciting to bring on a new district,” says Willi. He adds, “We worked with Santa Fe R-X School District to provide a tailored in-service curriculum, and we’d be happy to do the same for other districts.”
School Training Solutions (STS), a division of Smart Horizons, is partnering with school districts across the United States to provide needed training for bus drivers and support personnel. Santa Fe R-X School District in Missouri began using STS online training in January 2012, to satisfy the classroom portion of school bus driver training. This district joins others in Florida, Oklahoma, Iowa, West Virginia, and Wyoming for online access to various catalogs and courses that satisfy training requirements for school bus drivers and other school support employees.
In a letter from Dr. Gini Barnett, superintendent of Santa Fe R-X School District, to Patrick Willi, Director of School Training Solutions, she writes, “I was delighted to find a solution for effective training for our drivers that was easy to use and at a great price.” She goes on to say, “Your personal touch and expertise has enabled our drivers to access mandated training that is quality and time efficient. Finally, the record-keeping aspect of the program is incredibly helpful and easy to manage.” “It’s always very exciting to bring on a new district,” says Willi. He adds, “We worked with Santa Fe R-X School District to provide a tailored in-service curriculum, and we’d be happy to do the same for other districts.”
The cost savings and value are clear: online training is significantly less expensive than classroom instruction. State, county, or district entities responsible for yearly school bus driver training commonly use the online curriculum to standardize their training and use it in addition to on-the-road training or driving course sessions. This strategy frees up instructors for on-the-road training and makes paperwork and reporting more efficient.
STS also partners with the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) to provide an online option for NAPT Professional Development Series(PDS) certifications.
