RENO, Nev. — A record-breaking total of 1,129 years of experience sat in on the “So, You Want to Be a Transportation Supervisor?” seminar at STN EXPO Reno on Saturday.
The half-day seminar on July 13 was facilitated by industry veterans Alexandra Robinson, a former executive director of transportation and current industry consultant; Tim Purvis of pupil transportation information; and Rosalyn Vann-Jackson, chief support services officer for Broken Arrow Public Schools in Oklahoma.
The seminar, which is taught every year at STN EXPO Reno, allows student transporters to evaluate themselves and how they can improve their operations, with a focus on department culture and fostering positive staff interactions.
School Transportation News spoke with attendees about how they got into student transportation and their goals for attending the class.
Raymond Montoya
First-time STN EXPO attendee Raymond Montoya, the transportation supervisor for Sheridan School District No. 2 in Colorado, noted that, like many, his dream was never to be a school bus driver. But he saw an opportunity arise when going back to college in 2016 to finish his degree in criminal justice and justice studies.
“I thought driving a school bus was a great opportunity to work, put me through college and provide some income and stability while I did that,” he said. “It was one of the best jobs I ever had.”
When he graduated college in 2020, the opportunities weren’t what he expected. Instead, he was talked into classroom teaching. He said he taught third grade for a school year and loved the kids and the rapport he established with them. However, he said, being in the classroom wasn’t his passion, and he instead fell in love with transportation.
Montoya said he took a sabbatical to decide if he wanted to pursue criminal justice or follow his love for the transportation aspect of education. He said after going back to drive for a month, he was approached to take on the supervisory role at the district, which he’s officially held for the past year, after training for the position.
Montoya added that he’s now working in a smaller district, which he said he’s grateful for as it’s easier to manage when challenges do arise.
“But in this class, seeing and meeting people in different communities, different cities, different states with different district sizes, shows me that everyone shares a commonalty of problems and issues, just on a different level,” he said. “The class allowed me to meet different people, engage with different school district leaders, potential leaders, and hear some great advice from people who have been doing this a lot longer than I have. It was really motivating.”
He noted that one point discussed by the panelists that struck a chord with him was burnout. However, he noted that coming to conferences like STN EXPO and networking with new people provides a refreshing start when returning to your district.
“You are fresh with new ideas and what may or may not have worked, you want to try new things,” he said. “I think that’s what this class presented to me on how to approach what I can improve on, or what I can continue to change to make the district better.”
Jessica Harley & Akeya Barrett
Two attendees from Migrant Head Start Project in North Carolina shared some insight on their trajectory in the transportation industry.
Transportation Assistant Manager Jessica Harley became involved in the transportation industry when she was a college student at East Carolina University. “I saw a job opportunity, a program called Safe Ride, and I transported college students between the library and their dorm at night for about a year,” said Harley.
Afterward, Harley was promoted as a student manager, then ultimately decided to get her CDL and remained a full-time employee for approximately 14 years. Harley left the industry after working 14 years with Safe Ride and decided to work in other jobs. However, her passion for school buses remained intact and after two years she returned to the transportation industry.
“I missed driving buses and working with transportation staff,” she said while adding that that’s one of the reasons why she applied to the Head Start agency.
Meanwhile, Transportation Manager Akeya Barrett started working in the industry in 2001. As a former substitute teacher, her district made it mandatory to obtain a CDL and since then Barrett has been involved in transportation.
At first, she said she started off as a bus driver with the organization she was working for at the time and later transitioned into an administrative assistant.
“There’s always challenges in transportation,” said Barrett when asked if she encounters any challenges in the industry. “I’m good with people management and that’s my passion, but there’s a lot of administrative things, politics behind the scenes that goes on, so what’s important is having a proper foundation to overcome those challenges.”
Both Barrett and Harley said they attended the transportation supervisor session to engage and learn more about what other districts are doing within their transportation departments. For them, it was important to acquire new strategies that can potentially help their Head Start organization grow.
Levi Williams
STN also had the chance to talk with Transportation Director Levi Williams at DeSoto County Schools in Mississippi. He shared insight on his transition from school principal to transportation director in 2017.
“I remember we were in a conference in San Diego and so the transportation director at the time came to me and told me, now that I am superintendent, I would like for you to become the director of transportation,” recalled Williams when asked how he got into the industry. “I had applied for the position already and there were several other guys applying for the position as well, but that’s how I ended up getting into transportation.”
Williams is now the transportation director for one of the largest school districts in Mississippi. They transport around 20,000 students per day and have a population of approximately 35,000 students.
Even though he’s the director, Williams said his favorite part of the job is being able to drive school buses. “The management side of things is a little bit difficult from time to time, but I really get joy out of picking students up and dropping those students off,” he said.
One of the challenges his district faces is the school bus driver shortage. “Just like everybody else we face several challenges, but driver shortages are number one. But I feel like we are slowly bouncing back from that shortage in our district,” he continued.
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