A former student becomes Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8’s youngest school bus driver at the age of 19.
“I have been riding the buses since I was about 8 years old. My parents could never afford a car and it kind of just went from there,” said Tyson Decluette in a YouTube interview for the district. “The more I rode the bus, the more [I knew] that is something I want to do.”
It all began with a project he completed in school. He was approached to write a proposal about transportation. Decluette had to utilize this project to demonstrate mastery of English and math standards. He soon learned few of his classmates knew there was a dedicated transportation or transit system.
The project consisted of developing a budget based on a school bus driver’s salary and writing a paper from a low socioeconomic perspective. The conclusion was based on his experiences working for Fountain-Fort Carson School District.
Decluette began his district employment as a bus monitor but was soon asked if he would consider driving the bus. He thought he had to be 21 years of age to get his commercial driver’s license.
The district told him the state was in the process of changing the regulation and encouraged him to get his permit. After succeeding at that initial step, Decluette was offered the position of school bus driver applicant. He is now extremely satisfied and happy to be a full-time driver for the district.
LISTEN: Tyson Decluette & his Director of Transportation Robert Leach on the School Transportation Nation podcast.
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