It takes a special kind of person to drive a school bus, and in Moffat County School District, our bus drivers are as special as it gets.

These drivers, an often short-staffed (though less-so lately, thankfully) team of dedicated individuals, get up early in the morning and get off well after dark. In between, they drive dozens of wild and wacky kids from home to school and from school to home. These kids are great, and the best drivers adore theirs. But they’re also kids, and they’re often extremely wild and wacky.

The patience and passion of these drivers is hard to adequately describe.

Of course, there are incidents that require discipline, just like in a classroom, and of course there are moments when a driver’s got to come across as a bit stern to command the attention and respect of the students behind them. But the consistency and constancy of these drivers, who earn complex certifications assuring the district we can trust them with transporting our most precious assets, is beyond words.

We’re so grateful for the flexibility and reliability of our drivers. They keep our kids safe, get our students to school and home, connect with students as their first and last school district faces of the day, and generally do it all with joy.

It’s hard to overstate how much that matters. It keeps the district running.

The district transportation is run by a wonderful office staff and mechanic, too, and we’re so grateful for all those who make bus transport possible. Our transportation secretary is constantly flexing the department in and out of tricky situations, handling emergencies, planning routes, figuring out the next steps, coordinating activity trips, and on and on.

She’s a marvel, and we’re lucky to have her.

Our mechanic is quick on the draw when something goes down, skilled and knowledgeable and handy in a million ways, and able to fix just about anything or find the folks who can at a moment’s notice. The job can’t be done without them, either.

Activity drivers, SpED bus paras, all contribute to a high-functioning team, and we’re so grateful. The school district is better for students and for parents with a working transportation department, and this one works. We’re always trying to serve students and parents better and more effectively, all while managing a tight budget and a tight staff.

Thank you to the transportation department for all that you do. Next week, we’ll welcome our incoming transportation director, who takes over this great team and will work to support them and help them reach even higher heights.