School Transportation Software – Transfinder Training Scheduled

INFORMATIONAL LETTER: 52
POLICY CODE: EEAC

To: Superintendents of Schools, Transportation Directors and Business Managers
From: Angela Faherty Ph.D., Commissioner
Date: December 6, 2010
Topic: School Transportation Software – Transfinder Training Scheduled

The Maine Department of Education offers school units no-cost access to a suite of school transportation software products and services from a company called Transfinder. The Transfinder software provides:

Computerized routing system complete with county maps
Automated field trip tracking
Information management/dissemination for parents and community members
Fleet maintenance management.

This transportation software service is new to Maine this past year. To date, approximately 40 school administrative units have been trained to utilize Transfinder software. To help more schools take advantage of this software and advance the user level with existing schools, new training has been scheduled. To register for a class send an e-mail to Diane Blackman at dblackman@transfinder.com and Pat Hinckley at Pat.Hinckley@maine.gov .

New and advanced training will be offered from December 2010 through March 2011. To assure a smooth transition, new users are required to take the implementation class. Advanced users can register for refresher classes and/or advanced classes that meet their needs. Please read the class descriptions to determine your training needs. A copy of the Transfinder training schedule and course description can be found on the School Transportation web page: http://www.maine.gov/education/const/trans/home.htm . Transfinder has refined the training based on feedback from transportation staff as follows: time of day changed to morning to meet school transportation staff schedules; days of week changed to Tuesday through Thursday to meet school transportation staff schedules; course descriptions provided to clarify expectations; one instructor will teach the series of classes for consistency; designated customer project managers assigned to service school transportation users; and the class focus will be applied learning.

Contact Diane Blackman at 888-427-2403 x1023 or dblackman@transfinder.com or Pat Hinckley at 207-624-6886 or Pat.Hinckley@maine.gov if you have any questions.