Interested In Being a School Bus Driver?
Trip Drivers like Loras Mauer and Tom Koopmann are very important to our district transportation family.
 Trip drivers are very important to our district transportation family. They take the majority of our student athletes to their games and events. They take students to their field trips and provide our route drivers with additional substitutes to fill in when they need time off. As a district, we scheduled over 1500 trip runs last year. We have five drivers that have this as their primary position. We also have several other route drivers and sub drivers who help on busy days. With participation at an all-time high, some nights in the spring and fall need 12 or more drivers to get everyone safely to their events.
Loras Mauer (in the photo above) enjoys sleeping in the bus and catching up on his reading during the games. But he really enjoys going to new places and different schools every day. The trip times don’t interrupt his day as much as running routes. This uninterrupted time allows him to get other work done or go camping and fishing.
Tom Koopmann really enjoys following the kids and is like another member of the team. Some coaches think he’s good luck and need him to drive all their trips. Tom still helps his kids on the farm and the trip hours allow him the time to do that.
We’re always looking for additional drivers to help with the busy fall and spring sports seasons. If you enjoy activities, are a parent of a player, or are looking for additional afternoon-evening income, contact Ernie Bolibaugh at 563-744-3885 x 6051.
If a morning AND afternoon route doesn't work for your schedule, how about picking one like Dan Friedmann?
 We're continuing our school bus driver profiles and this week we talked to Dan Friedmann. Dan works at Rauen Precision Machining in Farley and drives an afternoon route for us.
Dan initially started driving in 1998. His route was changed and he took a couple years off before missing it and returning to start the 2004 school year. He says he’s fortunate to have an employer that is good enough to give him the time to drive an afternoon route.
When interviewing Dan about what it's like being a school bus driver, he said “the kids are a blast! They keep you young, and the money’s not too bad either”. Dan said the biggest misconception about bus driving is that the kids are terrible. He really enjoys that they’re not near as bad as people think and he says his grandkids can’t put anything past him anymore. "You develop a 3rd eye after a while.”
Most of our bus drivers are morning and afternoon route drivers. However some, like Dan, only have an afternoon route while others may only be available to drive in the morning. Most afternoon routes start around 3:00 p.m. If you have another job and get off work by 2:30 p.m. in the highway 20 area, it's a quick hop into a bus at our Farley transportation building.
Looking for a long-term job opportunity? How about being a bus driver like Leona Roling for 40+ years!
 Welcome to week three of our bus driver profiles. This week we visit with one of our senior drivers, Leona Roling. We say “senior” only as a reflection of years of service to our district, not as a statement on her age. Leona has dedicated her time to the kids of Western Dubuque for 43 years! She started in August of 1974 (Transportation Supervisor, Erinie Bolibaugh, was in 8th grade at the time!). Leona is one of two current drivers that started that year; Ryck Mescher being the other. Both have served the district with distinction and continue going strong!
Leona started driving when her husband, Al, convinced her to help on his route when he was busy on the farm. Al himself drove for over 35 years before passing in 2008. Leona says they broke her in right by driving a route all the way up to Balltown, Buena Vista and back through Bankston Park. They didn’t have radios back then. There was no way to contact someone if you were having problems. She remembers the boss telling them to “just shift it down and plow on thru! You’ll make it.” Leona says, "We never cancelled school. Most of the kids rode the bus and the bus never had a problem. Very few kids drove themselves. That and the technology over the years are probably the biggest changes. Today all the buses are automatic, have radios, gps, automatic door openners…."
Leona says the driving gives her a reason to get up and go in the morning. She looks forward to seeing the kids and according to the bus paraprofessional, the kids really miss her when she’s not there. She hates to miss a day.
Being a school bus driver is a great second job. Just ask Jodi Dolphin.
Jodi is a paraprofessional at Cascade Elementary School as well as a substitute route & trip driver. She’s been driving for four years. The highlight of her day is seeing the look of surprise on the kids’ faces when they see her behind the wheel. As a former “farm girl” she enjoys getting out into the country and seeing where the kids are coming from. No day is ever the same, especially when subbing different routes. But even the same route has its differences. Someone’s not riding, forgot their book bag or just running late. Jodi enjoys the challenge of staying on time and keeping everyone safe. It’s rewarding for her because the kids really do appreciate her and don’t see her as just someone to get them home.
Here's some additional thoughts Jodi shared with us:
"I enjoy driving the trips because I love to watch sports especially when I know the students. I just recently received a thank you note that a student said that they hoped that I would drive for baseball again. That was very rewarding because it came from someone that I didn't think it would matter to. The older kids seem to enjoy it when I drive, I think it is because I make a big deal out of them. I know most of them from my own kids."
Looking for a retirement job? How about becoming a school bus driver like Bob Bonert?
 Bob has been a school bus driver for 11 years. Bob and his wife Lorie, have semi-retired from farming in the Dyersville area. He was looking for some additional work, that wasn’t quite so physical, as they were cutting back on the farm. Bob had driven earlier in his career and thought he’d try it again. Bob really enjoys meeting new people with new ideas and the kids keep him feeling young, or younger anyway! He really appreciates the support he gets from the office and schools in helping with the few kid problems that he has to work out.
Bob would definitely recommend bus driving to anyone looking for a retirement job.
If you would like to learn more about becoming a school bus driver for the Western Dubuque Community School District, contact Ernie Bolibaugh at 563-744-3885 x 6051.
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