Special Education Transportation Manager
ISD31 Bemidji Area Schools
Bemidji, MN, United States
Kala is married, the mother to three sons. She enjoys being active in her community. Her favorite pastime is spending time with her family.
Kala has worked in several capacities in t transportation industry since 1986. Currenlty she is the Special Needs Transportation and Routing Manager for Bemidji Area Schools. Kala was the Transportation Coordinator for Brainerd Public Schools from 1996 - 2016.
Kala is the current Minnesota Association for Pupil Transportation (MAPT) Board member representing District Owned School bus fleets. She is a Past President and past Vice President of MAPT. Past MAPT Special Needs Committee Chair, and Train the Trainer Conference Chair. Kala is the current Train the Trainer Special Needs Conference Chair. Kala is a member of Beltrami County Toward Zero Death committee and the Bemidji Elks Lodge. Kala is a member of the National Women in Transportation (WIT.) organization. She is Vice President of WiST, MN (Women in Student Transportation)
Kala is the recipient of the Peter J Grandolfo Memorial Award of Excellence, Recipient of the MAPT Administrator of the year award, National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) Special Needs Award and Recipient of the Holly Hoglund-Klein Memorial Award.
Kala has been a car seat technician since 2008, and a certified instructor since 2022. Kala has been an instructor for 8 hours NHTSA School Bus Child Restraint Systems since 2011. Kala served on the NHTSA committee for the revision of the 8 Hour School Bus curriculum. She has served on the National Congress on School Transportation (NCST), rewrite committee on child passenger safety on school buses in 2015. She has her NAPT Special Needs Endorsements.
Kala has presented Nationally for NAPT, School Transportation News (STN), and Transporting Students with Disabilities (TSD) and she present at the Special Needs School Bus Conference for Canadian Manager/Driver Conference.
Disclosure information not submitted.
NHTSA Child Passenger Safety on School Buses National Training
Friday, March 21, 2025
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM East Coast USA Time