Jack Hanna is looking for people who want to be part of what he calls a mobile classroom.
Hanna, executive director of operations for Lawton Public Schools, is looking for a dozen or more school bus drivers this year to help deliver about 6,500 students to school each morning and return them home each afternoon.
“We meet and greet the kids every day before they get to school. We start their day off with them. We can make a kid’s bad day a good day with just a smile,” Hanna said of the importance of school bus drivers.
And no, you don’t need any special training to apply to be a bus driver. All you need is a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) and Lawton Public Schools Transportation Center officials will teach you the rest.
Hanna said being a school bus driver has several benefits, including working only 170 days a year, having school holidays off, having summer off with pay, retirement and insurance. Bus drivers work two 3-hour shifts a day: from 6:15-9:15 a.m. and 1:45-4:45 p.m. Drivers also have the opportunity for additional hours with midday runs, such as taking students on field trips.
Being a school bus driver is a good job for retirees or military spouses, Hanna said.
“You still have time to have your day and still work,” Hanna said. “It has to be the right fit for … people’s lifestyles.”
The impact can be far reaching. Some drivers have worked for the district for decades and formed generational relationships with their riders, Hanna said.
“We have lots of drivers who have driven 20-plus years and they love it,” Hanna said. Some drivers are now taking the children or grandchildren of former students they once took to school. “It’s neat to hear these stories. They are a part of their lives. We are a part of their family.”
“We are transporting tomorrow’s future,” said Mike Lewis, driver trainer supervisor.
Those interested in applying may fill out the online application on the LPS website, lawtonps.org, or call 248-3255 and ask for Mike Lewis, driver trainer supervisor.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol can assist with obtaining a CDL. Once prospective drivers have obtained a CDL, Lawton Public Schools will teach them everything about how to drive a school bus, including loading and unloading, procedures for railroad crossings, accident prevention, and state laws and regulations. After that training has been completed, prospects must pass a school bus driving test before being eligible to be hired full time.
Although school starts Aug. 14, bus drivers may apply at any time.