Superintendent of Perry Township Schools
More than 12,000 students who attend Perry Township Schools begin and end their days under the care of a bus driver.
Driving a bus is a rewarding and challenging position in our district. Each day 174 buses safely transport children to and from school. Starting as early as 6 a.m. our drivers pull into the transportation lot on West Edgewood Avenue and fire up those diesel engines. The buses don’t always like starting on cold mornings, so we keep them plugged in; our mechanics come in early to make sure our buses are warmed up and ready to roll.
Drivers on average will pick up between 40 and 50 students along their routes. The high school and middle school students are picked up first. After they are dropped off the elementary students are picked up.
Formal bus inspections are conducted by the state police every year in every school district in Indiana. Three specialists in bus mechanics recently spent five days inspecting our fleet. We are proud of our transportation director, the mechanics and the transportation team for their work in keeping our buses running smoothly and passing inspections again this year.
“We have to make sure our buses are not only ready for our February state inspection but that they are ready every time they leave the lot to pick up our children,” said Patrick Murphy, transportation director.
Driving a school bus is not a job to the vast majority of the drivers; it is a commitment to the children and youth in our community. Transporting children to and from 18 schools each day is not an easy task, but our drivers do it with skill and expertise.
We are in need of drivers and encourage you to apply. Hopefully, you are asking yourself what kind of person Perry Township looks for to drive a school bus. There are some basic characteristics that we believe are essential: You simply must have a sincere, heartfelt desire to protect children and keep them safe. The person is compassionate, patient, firm and fair. Quality drivers understand that they are the first and last people that students see each school day. Drivers have a dramatic effect on a child’s academic career.
We can teach you how to drive a bus and help you prepare for the driving test. If you have the above mentioned traits and truly want to make a difference in the lives of children, call Patrick at 789-6225.