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Presented by BusPlanner
Three days inside the transportation department
The Transportation Operations Academy is a free training program for the people who plan, dispatch, maintain and operate student transportation every day. It is taught by working transportation directors, open to every school district, and hosted by BusPlanner at no cost to attendees.
Three days
No cost to attend
Certificate included
Join the waitlist
Tell us where you would travel to attend and we will be in touch when a session near you is confirmed.
Joining the waitlist is free and carries no obligation to attend. Your details will only be used to contact you about the academy. Read our privacy policy.
Why we run it
Supporting the people who move students
Most transportation professionals learn the job one piece at a time, usually while the buses are already rolling. The academy puts the whole operation in front of you in three days, and BusPlanner covers the cost.
- See how a transportation department actually fits together, from systems to daily decisions.
- Work through real scenarios with people who face the same problems at other districts.
- Learn from experienced directors through case studies and open discussion.
- Leave with practical tools and lasting connections with transportation teams at districts across the United States.
Inside the academy
What three days actually looks like
Classroom sessions, hands-on demonstrations and a lot of comparing notes with people who do the same job at other districts.
What we cover
Fifteen topics across the whole department
The curriculum spans routing and dispatch through compliance, budgeting and leadership. Topics are adapted for each session based on the host district and the group attending.
Daily operations
- Routing
- Dispatch operations
- Field trips
- Shop management
- Student management
Budget and technology
- Budget and purchasing
- Technology in transportation
Safety and compliance
- Accident investigation and reporting
- Drug and alcohol reasonable suspicion training for supervisors
- Special needs, CSRS and McKinney-Vento
- State reporting and driver licence records
People and leadership
- Human resources and documentation
- Leadership and communication
- Training techniques
- Presentation skills
Sessions
Three days, start to finish
Each academy runs three consecutive days at a host school district, with breaks, catered lunches and dedicated networking time built in. Optional evening sessions are offered alongside the main programme.
The academy closes with a short assessment, course evaluations and a graduation, so the certificate of completion reflects all three days of instruction. Seating is limited and requests are reviewed in the order they are received.
Upcoming sessions
- Hays CISD September 19 to 21, 2026
- Mansfield ISD October 17 to 19, 2026
- Additional sessions 2027 dates coming soon
Who leads it
Run by people who have done the job
The academy is led by two members of the BusPlanner team who spent their careers inside school district transportation departments before joining us.
Josh Rice
Regional Sales Manager, BusPlanner
Josh spent more than two decades in Texas public school transportation, serving as Director of Transportation at Klein ISD, New Caney ISD and Barbers Hill ISD. He holds CDPT and CSNT certifications and is a past president of the Texas Association for Pupil Transportation. He founded the academy and leads its instruction.
Binford Sloan
Director of Customer Success, BusPlanner
Binford spent more than 28 years in student transportation, serving as Director of Transportation in North Carolina and Virginia. He has held CDPT certification since 1998 and is a past head of the North Carolina Pupil Transportation Association. He leads customer success here and teaches alongside Josh.
The bench behind it
Taught by working transportation professionals
The academy is not one person's course. Instruction is delivered by a rotating group of directors, coordinators and specialists from school districts across the region, all of whom volunteer their time to teach.
A standing curriculum advisory team meets throughout the year to review and update what gets taught, so every session reflects current practice. That team also maintains the resource page attendees keep access to after they graduate.
- Summer Adams Advisory team Irving ISD · Irving, TX
- LaTedra Bailey Huffman ISD · Huffman, TX
- Jessica Bell Advisory team New Caney ISD · New Caney, TX
- Randy Burton Lufkin ISD · Lufkin, TX
- Megan Elsberry Cleveland ISD · Cleveland, TX
- Jennifer Gardella Rockwall ISD · Rockwall, TX
- Brian Gibson Brenham ISD · Brenham, TX
- Lisa Hernandez Klein ISD · Klein, TX
- Roy Kloeber Katy ISD · Katy, TX
- Jonquez Moore Advisory team Little Elm ISD · Little Elm, TX
- Daniel O'Neal Klein ISD · Klein, TX
- Michelle Ramm Forney ISD · Forney, TX
- Elissa Rice Advisory team Conroe ISD · Conroe, TX
- Amy Scopac Temple ISD · Temple, TX
Frequently asked questions
Is the academy really free?
Yes. There is no registration fee, and the academy binder, certificate of completion, meals and snacks are all included. Attendees are responsible only for their own travel and lodging if they are coming from outside the area.
Who should attend?
The academy is built for anyone working in student transportation, including routers, dispatchers, trainers, shop staff, office staff, supervisors and directors. Newer staff use it to understand the full operation, and experienced staff use it to compare practices with other districts.
Do attendees need to be there all three days?
The program is designed as a sequence, and the certificate of completion covers all three days. If you can only attend part of a session, note that in your request and our team will confirm what is possible.
Do attendees need to be BusPlanner customers?
No. The academy is open to every transportation professional regardless of the software a district uses, and the sessions cover practices that apply across the industry.
Can our district host an academy?
In many cases, yes. Hosting requires a room that seats a group for three days along with a few local arrangements. Tell us in the notes on the form below and our team will walk you through the details.
How do we register for a session that is already scheduled?
Registration for confirmed sessions is handled by email. Send your name, your district and the session you would like to attend to team@busplanner.com. Seating is limited and requests are reviewed in the order they arrive.
Tell us where you would like to attend
We are scheduling the next round of academies now. Share your details and the area you would travel to, and we will be in touch as soon as a session near you is confirmed.
Joining the waitlist is free and carries no obligation to attend. Read our privacy policy.
