Our bus drivers and monitors are an essential part of many students’ education, ensuring they get to and from school safely, but their roles go much deeper. Drivers and monitors are the first people in the district the students come into contact with daily, and it falls to them to help students have a great start and end to each school day and activity.
USD 503 is thankful for all they do. Throughout this week we will be featuring our wonderful drivers and monitors, and sharing a little about them.
Featured today are Alan Bynum and Jessica English.
Alan Bynum is a bus driver. He is semi-retired and has been driving a bus for the district for two years. He said he is a pretty easy guy to talk to and his favorite thing about his job is “learning something new.”
Jessica English serves as a bus monitor with Bynum. She has worked as a monitor for the district for six years. Jessica is also a bus driver. This is her first year in that role. Between the two she works full-time for the transportation department.
What she loves most about the job is: "All the wonderful children I get to meet and get to see grow over the years, and all the wonderful people I get to work with."
She has two grown children and a teenager at home whom she cares for, along with her three Yorkies named Happy, Harley and Tiny.
Megan Shiflett is a Substitute Bus Driver. She has been working for the district for three months.
She also works part-time in the evenings and on the weekends at Walgreens.
Here favorite thing about being a bus driver is, "Seeing the kids smiling faces and knowing that they got to school safely. It's also just really fun to drive the bus."
Something she would like people to know about her is: "I really like camping and spending time with my family. We have four boys, a dog and three cats, so things get a little chaotic at times, but I wouldn't have it any other way."