#61422 SCHOOL BUS DISPATCHER

Ulster County Personnel Department

 Civil Service Examination Announcement

 


NON-REFUNDABLE FILING FEE $20.00

 

#61422 SCHOOL BUS DISPATCHER

OPEN-COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION

LAST DATE FOR FILING APPLICATIONS:  December 23, 2014

EXAMINATION DATE:  February 7, 2015

SALARY:  The starting salary varies by location.

 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:  Candidates must meet the following requirement(s) on or before the date of the examination:

1.  Six (6) months of full-time paid, or its’ part-time equivalent, experience in dispatching vehicles or driving a bus; AND

2.  Possession of the appropriate New York State Driver’s License; AND

3.  Must be at least twenty-one (21) years of age.

Note: In addition, candidates must satisfy the requirements for School Bus Driver set forth in the rules and regulations of the New York State Commissioner of Education and the New York State Department of Transportation.

APPLICATION REVIEW TOLERANCE POLICY

For the purposes of this policy, "tolerance" shall mean the leeway given regarding work experience when reviewing an application. Applicants lacking a small amount of work experience when applying for promotional or open-competitive examinations may qualify under the following conditions:

1)   Candidates will be given a maximum tolerance of one (1) month.

2)     Tolerance will be given only when the minimum qualification requires one or more years of work experience.

3)     Tolerance Policy does not apply to education or licensure/certification requirements. (See particular examination announcement for "Anticipated Eligibility" information).

4)     Tolerance Policy does not apply where required work experience is set forth by law or rules.

5)     Tolerance Policy does not apply to enable applicants to meet residence requirements.

For more information regarding Tolerance Policy, please contact our office at (845) 340-3550.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS:  An employee in this class is responsible for dispatching school buses and drivers as well as monitoring bus radio transmissions.  Immediate supervision is received from the Transportation Supervisor with little leeway allowed for the exercise of independent judgment.  Supervision over the work of others is not normally a function of this class.  Does related work as required.

SUBJECT OF EXAMINATION:  Written test will cover knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in such areas as:

1. Bus driver recordkeeping and scheduling

A test that requires candidates to work with simple records using general record-book or card-type formats. Questions are based on given records, which usually must be completed by the candidate before the questions can be answered. In order to answer all questions in this subtest correctly, the candidate generally must:   a. Follow written directions to understand the purpose and use of the record, and to understand the question; b. Make correct entries in appropriate sections of the record; c. Identify which entries are required to answer the question.

A knowledge of bookkeeping, account keeping, or other technical information or terminology is not necessary to answer these questions. A knowledge of simple arithmetic functions may be required.

2. Following directions (maps)

These questions test your ability to follow physical/geographic directions using street maps or building maps. You will have to read and understand a set of directions and then use them on a simple map.

3. Use and operation of PC's and related peripheral equipment

These questions are designed to test for technical knowledge and concepts relevant to the operation of a PC and associated peripheral equipment for word processing, spreadsheet analysis, data base management, data communications and other applications. The questions asked are not specific to any vendor or any model of PC.

4. School bus driving practices, techniques and traffic laws

These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices involved in the proper and safe operation of school buses; and the rules and regulations of the New York State Motor Vehicle and Traffic Law governing school bus operation, highway safety, and rules of the road.

5. Operation of two-way radios including procedures and terms

These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices involved in the operation of a two-way radio and may include such areas as the proper procedures to use when operating a two-way radio, and the standard terminology used when transmitting and receiving messages over a two-way radio system.

The New York State Department of Civil Service has not prepared a test guide for this examination. However, candidates may find information in the publication "How to take a written test" helpful in preparing for this test. This publication is available on line at: www.cs.ny.gov/testing/localtestguides.cfm.

CALCULATORS:  "Unless specifically prohibited, candidates are permitted to use quiet, hand‑held, solar or battery powered calculators.  Devices with typewriter keyboards, ‘Spell‑Checkers’, ‘Personal Digital Assistants’, ‘Address Books’, ‘Language Translators’, ‘Dictionaries’ and any similar devices are prohibited."

*FEES*:  Send your check or money order for twenty dollars ($20.00) (made payable to COUNTY OF ULSTER) with your application.  Please include the examination number, title, and applicant’s name on your check or money order. DO NOT SEND CASH.  NO REFUNDS WILL BE ISSUED, therefore, you are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with the qualifications for admission and apply only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified.

EXCEPTION TO FEE REQUIREMENT:  An exception to the processing fee will be made for persons receiving Supplemental Social Security payments or public assistance (Safety Net Assistance or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families), provided Foster Care or certified Workforce Investment Act of 1998 eligible through a state or local social service agency, and for those who are currently unemployed.  Individuals wishing to claim this waiver of fee on the basis of Supplemental Social Security, Safety Net Assistance or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, must certify on their application, under number 20 Remarks, that they are receiving public assistance and must indicate the type of assistance they are receiving, the agency providing the assistance and their case numbers.

Persons claiming this waiver through Foster Care or Workforce Investment Act of 1998 Certification must specify the program and name of their contact agency. Persons claiming this waiver, who are currently unemployed must certify on their application, under number 20 Remarks, that they are currently unemployed and must provide documentation that they are receiving unemployment benefits or other unemployment documentation deemed appropriate by the Ulster County Personnel Officer.Such claims are subject to later verification and, if not supported by appropriate documentation, are grounds for barring appointment.

Applications may be obtained at the Ulster County Office Building, Personnel Department, 244 Fair Street ‑ 5th Floor, P.O. Box 1800, Kingston, NY 12402‑1800 OR by mail (INCLUDE A STAMPED SELF‑ADDRESSED, LEGAL‑ SIZE ENVELOPE) OR from our website at: http://www.co.ulster.ny.us/personnel/index.html.  Applications must be received by the Ulster County Personnel Department or postmarked no later than the ‘LAST DATE FOR FILING APPLICATIONS’ stated on page one of this announcement.

For those applications submitted in person on the last file date, please submit no later than 4:30 PM. All applications must be in our office no later than 5:00 PM on the last file date. Applications postmarked by the last file date will also be accepted.

This examination is being prepared and rated by the New York State Department of Civil Service in accordance with Section 23‑2 of the Civil Service Law.  The provisions of the New York State Civil Service Rules and Regulations dealing with the rating of examinations will apply to this test.

CRIMINAL BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION POLICY:  In accordance with Ulster County Local Law Number 14 of 2007, a criminal background check (including fingerprinting) will be initiated by the Ulster County Personnel Department upon initial employment or re-hire to Ulster County positions, and conducted by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), the New York State Office of Court Administration, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Verification Information System (IMAGE Program), or any law enforcement agency.

SPECIAL NOTE:  All public agencies are required by law to provide full and equal opportunities for minorities, women and to people with disabilities. All qualified candidates are encouraged to compete without regard to race, creed or national origin. Applicants requesting special testing arrangements as a Saturday Sabbath Observer, alternate test date candidate (in accordance with Alternate Test Date Policy), or an active member of the military away from the area on the scheduled test date must clearly indicate this fact on the application. All such requests must be supported by appropriate documentation.

VETERANS: Non-disabled and disabled veterans who wish to claim additional credits MUST request a Veterans Credits application from our office. This form must be completed and submitted along with a war service (DD214) form prior to the establishment of the resulting eligible list. Veterans credits may only be added to a passing score and may only be used for appointment once. Candidates currently in the armed forces may apply for and be conditionally granted veteran’s credits.  Any candidate who applies for such credits must provide proof of military status to receive the conditional credits.  You may not claim additional Veterans Credits after the eligible list has been established. It is the candidate’s responsibility to request the Veterans Credits application forms and submit these forms and any required supporting paperwork before the eligible list is established.

On November 5, 2013, New York State voters approved an amendment to Article 5, section 6, of the New York Constitution regarding the award and use of additional credits for certain disabled veterans on open competitive and promotion civil service examinations for positions with New York State and local governments. 

For eligible lists established after January 1, 2014, disabled veterans may be entitled to additional credits on a civil service examination.  Every situation is different.  If you have specific questions or concerns, please contact our office. 

ADDITIONAL CREDITS FOR CHILDREN OF FIREFIGHTERS AND POLICE OFFICERS KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY:  In conformance with section 85-a of the Civil Service Law, children of firefighters and police officers killed in the line of duty shall be entitled to receive an additional ten points in a competitive examination for original appointment in the same municipality in which his or her parent has served.  If you are qualified to participate in this examination and are a child of a firefighter or police officer killed in the line of duty in this municipality, please inform this office of this matter when you submit your application for examination.

A candidate claiming such credit has a minimum of two months from the application deadline to provide the necessary documentation to verify additional credit eligibility.  However, no credit may be added after the eligible list has been established.

APPLYING FOR CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATIONS IN MULTIPLE JURISDICTIONS WHEN EXAMINATIONS ARE SCHEDULED ON SAME DATE:  If you have applied for any other Civil Service examinations for employment with any other local government jurisdiction, you must make arrangements to take all the examinations at one test site.  Please indicate your intentions under #20 remarks on the application for examination.

If you have applied for both State and Local government examinations, please indicate this on your application under #20 remarks.  You must make arrangements to take all your examinations at the State examination center no later than two weeks before the test date.  You will be informed by letter when and where to report for the examinations.  You should bring all admission notices with you to the State test site along with the State admission notice you receive from New York State Civil Service.

If you have applied for other local government examinations, call or write to each Civil Service Agency to make arrangements.  You must make your request for these arrangements no later than two weeks before the date of the examinations.  You must notify all local government civil service agencies with whom you have filed an application of the test site at which you wish to take your examination(s).  For this examination call (845) 340‑ 3531 OR write to Ulster County Personnel Department, 244 Fair Street ‑ 5th Floor, P.O. Box 1800, Kingston, NY  12402‑1800.

*If candidates have not received notification of this examination within four (4) days of the examination, they should contact this office immediately.

#61422

ORIGINAL COPY:  YELLOW

ISSUED:  November 21, 2014