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Lowville Academy & C.S. - Named by School Bus Fleet as one of the 10 Top Shops for 2008
Allen Matuszczak (left) with mechanics James Lehman and Paul Monnat and dispatcher Reg Hoch
Lowville Academy & Central School, Lowville, N.Y. - Small department achieves big results
The community of Lowville is home to about 3,500 people, and, according to Allen Matuszczak, “There’s probably 30,000 people in the county and 33,000 cows.”
Matuszczak, transportation and building maintenance supervisor for Lowville Academy and Central School, says being in a rural area enhances relations with nearby districts. He explains that the three or four surrounding districts work together as a kind of group supply house for parts. “Our inventories are very low, so when we don’t have a certain part to repair something, we can give a call to a neighboring school district,” Matuszczak says.
Lowville’s transportation department has received ratings of 92 percent or higher on New York Department of Transportation inspections for six consecutive years, achieving a rating of 97.7 percent in the 2006-07 school year.
The department has also cut three bus routes over the past six years, while student enrollment has increased or remained flat. Matuszczak explains that the department was able to maximize capacity without increasing fleet size by transitioning from a fleet of 60-passenger conventionals to 66- and 72-passenger transit-style buses. Buses would be replaced as drivers retired so that no layoffs were required.
In that vein, Matuszczak identifies people as the greatest strength of Lowville’s maintenance program. In addition to a dispatcher, the transportation department employs two mechanics. Matuszczak’s head mechanic has been at the district for 35 years, and the other mechanic has worked there for 20.
Time management is the department’s biggest maintenance challenge, says Matuszczak. Because the mechanics are also drivers, they have a narrow time frame in the middle of each day for making repairs. “Managing bus time down and getting that bus turned around in a manner that suits not only the driver but our needs, because we’re always running short on buses for extra trips — that’s the biggest challenge,” he says.
Fleet Facts
Fleet: 23 school buses, 3 other vehicles
Total shop staff: 3
Number of bus bays: 2
Annual mileage: 275,000
Students transported: 1,000
Schools served: 4
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