Findlay bus leaders are recruiting, training drivers

FINDLAY — Nearly six months after becoming transportation manager for Findlay City Schools, Bonnie Huff continues to have more bus drivers in the training pipeline. She's excited now about helping develop the district's plans to bring back high school busing in the 2026-27 school year. Last year, the school board approved $6 million in budget reductions, including $821,000 in transportation savings that eliminated high school busing and limited K-8 transportation to students living outside of a two-mile radius from the district. Earlier this month, Superintendent Andy Hatton announced at a town hall that, with funds from the earned income tax levy starting to come in, the district plans to restore high school busing within a two-mile walk radius and decrease the walk radius to one mile for students in grades K-5 in 2026-27. Students in grades 6-8 will continue to have a two-mile walk radius. Huff began her career driving a bus for Toledo Public Schools, then worked for Perrysburg Schools before joining Findlay City Schools. "I can't say enough about everyone that I've met in Findlay," she said. Huff has been continually working to hire bus drivers since she arrived. A few are currently going through training. She said many of those attracted to this work are retired from other careers. Bus drivers work about six hours each day, from 6-9 a.m. and 2-5 p.m. Huff said this appeals to retirees, who can run errands during their break between the morning and afternoon shifts and enjoy having the summers off. They also receive health insurance, which is appealing to people who retire when too young for Medicare. Lora Click has the role of training new drivers. She said most of them have previously driven a large vehicle, but the buses can be a bit intimidating to people new to this type of vehicle. They practice maneuverability in the parking lot first before getting on the road. Click said someone new to driving a school bus must become familiar with air brakes. They need to pay attention to the gauges and, if they don't address any leaks promptly, their brakes won't work. Click has enjoyed training new drivers. It's her third year in the role and she has seen drivers she guided through training who are now successfully driving their own buses. "I like meeting them, getting to know them," she said. She said she has developed an ability to "read" when a driver-in-training may need to call it quits for one day and come back later. Training includes making sure drivers understand that they will need to brake sooner in difficult weather when they're in a school bus. "I remind people that we're a heavier vehicle," she said. "We can't stop on a dime." Another challenge is the written test at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Click said a lot of the information the drivers need to memorize for their commercial driver's license has more to do with truck than bus driving. Prospective drivers must pass a background check and a physical. They do get paid while going through training. Click began her own career as a substitute driver in 1995 before becoming a full-time driver the following year. Her mother was a Findlay City Schools driver for about 40 years, including while pregnant with Click. She said at first she wasn't sure she wanted to follow in her mother's footsteps, but she has come to love the work. It's especially "the relationship you build with these kids," some of whom drivers see year after year after year. One recent morning, a child on her bus told her he was upset because his father had woken him up and he didn't get to finish an interesting dream he was having about a donkey. "You get stories like that all the time," Click said. She advises new drivers to be consistent when it comes to establishing the behavior that's expected of kids on the bus, and not to play favorites. She has found that, while she may have to tell a group of children at the beginning of the school year that they need to be quiet when the bus goes over railroad tracks, as the school year goes along the children just know this, and don't need to be told. Occasionally there may be a child who continues to misbehave, and it may take time to get them to listen. Click said it's about building a relationship with the child and parents and, over time, that relationship usually improves. Being responsible for dozens of children also means the bus driver needs to be prepared to address any situation that might come up, like a kid getting sick on the bus. Drivers can radio for help if need be. "We just tell them we're pulling over to clean up vomit or whatever," Click said. But along with those occasionally unpleasant aspects, there is also a lot to enjoy. A perk of the job is that, after driving a busfull of children to a field trip, the bus driver gets to participate in the field trip, too. Click's favorite recent field trip was accompanying a special needs class to the Stranahan Theatre in Toledo to see "STOMP." "I got to go to Cedar Point once, when I was a driver," Huff added. "It was fun." Both Huff and Click encouraged the community to pay attention to safety. Bus drivers frequently see drivers pass stopped school buses, even though that is illegal. "They need to stop," Huff said. Click said drivers are asked to get the make and model of the vehicle and the license plate so the information can be sent to the police. This can be a challenge to do if it happens quickly, but, Huff said, these reports can result in citations. Passing a stopped school bus in Ohio can result in a fine of $500 and possible license suspension. Huff said she's excited about bringing back high school busing, and is currently working on developing the routes for next school year. She plans to drive each route herself over the summer, and then tweak them if she discovers issues, like a tree that is blocking visibility. Huff is also hoping to continue to get more applicants for bus drivers. Click, too, urged the community, "Keep me busy for the summer."