Debbie Romine, who has been an integral part of the School Bus Safety Unit at the Kansas Department of Education for 26 years, officially retired Dec. 19. However, she tells STN she isn’t ready to completely leave behind an industry that has given her so much satisfaction.
“I’m off until March, then coming back part-time to continue things like training and presenting. I just won’t be as involved in the office as much,” she said, “The biggest thing is I’m looking forward to getting back at it. Everybody says ‘I want to retire.’ I don’t.”
Romine held the position of Educational/Informational Representative II for student transportation within the department and was an integral part of the School Bus Safety Unit.
The School Bus Safety Unit is an informational and training resource for student transporters, providing access professional development courses and a vast video library, among many other things. It also gathers information from all states for the National Loading and Unloading Survey each year.
Romine is also a first aid and CPR instructor, Child Passenger Safety Technician, Intermediate Emergency Technician (EMT-I) and lead driver trainer for the American Automobile Association’s Driver Improvement Program in the State of Kansas.
She became involved in the industry in 1983 when she became a school bus driver for a district near her hometown.
“I was actually in the U.S. Army reserve in a transportation unit. I found out that our school (district) was needing some bus drivers, and I decided that if I could drive an army truck, I could drive a busload of kids,” Romine said with a laugh.
She recalls that in those days, training for school bus drivers was not as extensive or rigorous as it is today.
“They let me get in a bus, had five minutes to look at the controls on it and away I went. I got my (Class B) license, drove kids around by the end of that week,” she said. “Back then, it was an okay thing, especially in small-town U.S.A.”
After five years of driving buses, Romine found out about an opening with the Kansas Department of Transportation through a newspaper ad and decided to apply. She noted that she was particularly interested because the position required teaching first aid and CPR classes, since she was already doing that as a driver.
She was hired for the position, where she remained until her retirement. In those first few years, Romine was responsible for training staff for the Department of Transportation as well as student transporters. In 1994, the student transportation division was moved over to the Kansas Department of Education.
Romine cited a passion for the safety of children as the main factor that kept her in the industry for so long, as well as the importance of training. Along with this love of safety, she also shared her dedication to continuous learning and helping others.
Now that she has more free time, she said she is looking forward to volunteering more time toward different causes, including working as an EMT for the Lyndon/Vassar Fire Department.
“You don’t ever stop learning in anything. As far as I’m concerned, when you stop learning and you stop the development of the career, of whatever it might be, then it’s time to plant ship,” she added.
