Dr. David K. Moore, the superintendent for the School District of Indian River County in Florida, referred to school bus drivers as transportation professionals, adding they are the first team members to “greet our students in the morning and the very last team members to wish them a good evening after school.”
At a Glance: Indian River Schools
Number of drivers: 72
Number of routes: 68
Student transported daily: 7,000
Miles traveled yearly: 1.6 million
Moore noted that school bus drivers have an “incredible responsibility” to transport students safely to and from school. In addition, transportation plays a role in transporting students to and from a variety of enriching and extracurricular activities offered by Indian River.
“We depend on our transportation professionals to support students in arriving to school on time so that we can maximize the instructional time that we have,” he added.
One major district initiative, Moore said, is sustaining the rate of accelerated achievement outcomes and expanding focus on school innovation to create a portfolio of offerings for the community.
“We continue to build and maintain robust data systems and infrastructure to not only drive unprecedented rates of improvement in student achievement, but also to ensure fiscal and organizational responsibility through our system,” he said.
Indian River also operates a 100-percent, propane-fueled school bus fleet with a current project focusing on adding a new propane fueling station.
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Ahead of the 2025 Superintendent of the Year being named on March 6 at the National Conference on Education in New Orleans, Louisiana, School Transportation News sat down with those in charge of transportation operations at the respective districts to gain a better understanding of how the services function. The Superintendent of the Year Award is sponsored by AASA: The School Superintendents Association, along with Corebridge Financial and Sourcewell, to celebrate the contributions and leadership of public-school superintendents.
This year’s four finalists were selected from 49 state superintendent award winners (Hawaii was not included) and were judged based on their exhibited leadership for learning, communication, professionalism and community involvement.
A $10,000 college scholarship will be presented in the name of the 2025 National Superintendent of the Year to a student at a high school the winning superintendent graduated from or from the school district the winner now leads.
Jennifer Idlette, director of transportation, said workplace culture is positive with a strong teamwork foundation. She noted that the team is often acknowledged and appreciated for their efforts.
She noted transportation is able to maintain drives in excess of routes, but face challenges when illnesses, absences and academic and athletic trips are added in.
“We are required to split (double-up) routes frequently,” she said. “We focus on recruiting and hiring year-round, $300 recruitment bonus paid to district employees for referrals who are hired, and we offer an optional 40-hour work week for drivers by assigning them as school support during mid-day break.”
Idlette said Moore informs his departments of district initiatives and provides support when needed to address and resolve concerns in a timely manner.
Dr. Moore’s Education History
Moore said he started his education career as an exceptional student education teacher and school counselor. Five years in, he began serving in a variety of district leadership roles until he became the superintendent at Indian River County five years ago.
He shared that his father served as a principal for 21 years at the same school and had the greatest influence on cultivating his unwavering purpose as an educator.
“Naturally a very quiet man, my father would come to life when speaking about teaching and learning,” Moore added. “Many of the times I felt most connected to dad was when we would discuss his life’s passion for education, a passion that would be replicated in me. I watched my father cultivate growth, ownership and ambitious expectations at the school he led.”
Without realizing it, Moore said he was learning how “leaders adapt, inspire, and invest in people.
“Looking back, I was observing the intangible elements of culture that have shaped my beliefs and actions throughout all my leadership experiences and formed the building blocks for building sustainable, high-quality learning environments that our students deserve,” he added.
Moore said that being a finalist of the AASA Superintendent of the Year is something he is proud of for the recognition it brings his entire school district team.
“For them to be recognized across the state for their unwavering investments in and collective commitment to providing high quality educational experiences for all students, while realizing unprecedented academic outcomes,” he said. “Individually, I see this as an opportunity to be an ambassador and advocate for public education, to uplift all public education leaders in being authors of our own reform, and to demonstrate that public education can deliver the outcomes that all students deserve.”
