By KEN CARPENTER
Great Bend Post
This is National School Bus Safety Week and Wednesday, Oct. 20 is School Transportation Appreciation Day. Cody Schmidt, the Director of Grounds and Transportation for Great Bend’s School District, is in charge of keeping the buses on the road, and he said it’s important to focus on safety.
"That’s our number one job is to transport these kids to and from school and all activities safely, and finding qualified staff is number one,” Schmidt commented. “I always look at things and state that I would never put somebody behind the wheel that I didn’t trust to transport my own child.”
The school district employs 10 school bus drivers. Schmidt says Great Bend has been fortunate in not having a shortage of drivers this year. Many other school districts in the state have been finding it hard to hire qualified personnel.
When it comes to safety, Schmidt is proud of the work his drivers have been doing.
"I would say we probably cover roughly at least a thousand miles a week,” Schmidt related. “To be accident-free for as long as I can remember as a district of 428, it’s always been something we stick behind. We take it very seriously.”
Schmidt will show his personal appreciation for the bus drivers by taking them to lunch Wednesday at his own expense.