Amy Ball, pictured above, handles Sublette USD 374's bus, building, and grounds maintenance. She developed a Google form, used by several Kansas school district transportation departments, to track safety and maintenance documentation as well as staff transportation requests. (Photo submitted by Amy Ball)  

In a rural southwest Kansas school district, Amy Ball wears several hats. 

As a member of the Sublette USD 374 staff, Ball handles the district’s bus, building, and grounds maintenance. She says her job “is never the same from day to day,” ensuring students and staff are safe is at the top of the list.  

“Our students who participate in activities and clubs travel a significant distance for competitions and diverse learning experiences,” she said. “The safety of our students and staff is the highest priority.”  

Ball said she gets to continuously learn new things and solve problems with her supervisor, Bob McMullen, director of transportation and maintenance for USD 374. Like many small districts, they are the only two district staff members for the areas in which they work. 

Because of their multiple responsibilities and “out of necessity,” Ball said she got the idea to create a Google form to streamline the district’s bus safety and maintenance documentation after attending an area school transportation meeting. It was there she met a Ulysses USD 214 colleague who had created a spreadsheet to track that district’s transportation requests. Ball said that spreadsheet “opened the floodgate of ideas” of how she could implement something similar. 

“These forms populate into a spreadsheet and indicate if any vehicle or bus is in good condition or has an issue,” Ball said. “We also use the information collected by the drivers for our district audit for the state. The QR codes are for the drivers to scan upon entry of their vehicle or bus with their phone to fill out the form online. The transportation request form is posted on our district website for our employees and coaches to submit their dates of activities.” 

After two years, Ball said the Google form system “has been a great change, not only for our record keeping but for our drivers.” 

“It’s extremely user friendly and easy to navigate so Bob and I can maintain the safety of our fleet,” she said, adding their school transportation colleagues around the state have given them positive feedback about the forms and QR codes. 

“I have enjoyed sharing what we have learned and designed with other districts,” Ball said. “(I) hope they have been able to use what we have created to develop what works best for them.”