Being a school bus driver can often be a “thankless job,” said Murray County Schools Director of Transportation Randall Morrison.
“They very seldom get an opportunity to celebrate what they do, so every time an opportunity comes up, I jump at the chance,” he said.
During Monday’s Murray County Board of Education meeting Morrison announced the “top three bus drivers” in the school system, with the first place winner having the opportunity to receive a nomination for the Georgia Department of Transportation’s (GDOT) statewide Bus Driver of the Year award.
Named Murray County Schools’ first Bus Driver of the Year was Jerry Raper, with the second place recognition going to Charlie Smith and third place to Tammy Harrison.
Raper, a 76-year-old U.S. Army veteran, began his 11th year driving for the school system this year.
“The GDOT selects a statewide bus driver every year and as far as I know Murray County Schools has never participated in this,” said Morrison. “How that works is that it begins by us selecting our Bus Driver of the Year and then it goes over to our local (Regional Education Service Agency). Then, it ends at the state to be considered for Bus Driver of the Year.”
“I’ve got to say one thing,” Raper said as he accepted the award. “I don’t know how I got this.”
“I know how,” Harrison replied. “I prayed.”
Morrison said the nomination process was a difficult task, noting the school bus transportation system includes “about 125 drivers driving along 92 routes.”
“How do you decide who is the best? You let all of the colleagues do the voting,” he said. “So, I enlisted all of our bus drivers to look at their colleagues and find out who they thought was the best and cast their vote. Of course the prize money I had, I’m sure that helped to encourage a few votes, too.”
As the first place prize winner, Raper was awarded $300 and will receive a specially-made trophy. The second and third place winners received $150 and $50.
The names of all three winners will be displayed on a plaque that will hang on the recognition wall of the Murray County Schools Department of Transportation office.
During the voting, each bus driver in the system created a rationale to determine why each bus driver nominated was worthy.
“We had about 70 drivers that took part and sent in their rationale,” Morrison said. “The bus drivers wrote some amazing things about each other. But consistently throughout the three or four weeks that we did this, (these) three names kept rising to the top.”
Morrison said until the cutoff date, it was a “dead tie” between the three drivers with only “a one-point difference” between them at the end.
“But in my mind, they are all very much first place,” he said. “All three of these drivers have some amazing qualities, but they share the same qualities of every bus driver that we have.”
He said that includes performing a job they love and appreciate.
“They don’t do it because they have to, they do it because they want to,” Morrison said. “I’ve watched these drivers over the last year that I have been directly supervising them. I saw them laugh. I saw them cry with their students. I’ve watched them give their time and their money. I’ve seen them buy clothes and food for children that don’t have anything. They’re an amazing bunch of people.”
He said many of the qualities each of the three honored drivers possess include “always having a smile, a can-do attitude and the willingness to go the extra mile when called upon.”
“As a school bus driver, they wear many hats,” Morrison said. “They’re a driver, a teacher, a first responder, a lifesaver and a mentor. Their love for the students, the community and the district should serve as the gold standard for all school bus drivers. Everyone here should be encouraged to be as courageous as our Murray County school bus drivers.”
Raper said although he came out with the first place prize, the other two honorees are just as deserving.
“Charlie, he’s filled in for more drivers than anyone I know. I think he’s even filled in for some in Gilmer County and Whitfield County,” Raper said with a chuckle. “And he’s always happy. Tammy, she’s the ‘Bless you’ person on the bus. She’s always saying ‘Bless you, darling.’ If you’re around her for five seconds, you’re going to laugh.
Superintendent Steve Loughridge said each bus driver should be proud of their achievement.
“We certainly appreciate all of our bus drivers,” Loughridge said. “They’re the first face that a lot of students see when they come to school. They work cold mornings. They certainly do great work that we’re all appreciative of and it’s a difficult job, too.”
Morrison said although this was the first time the school system has presented the awards, it won’t be the last.
“Hopefully, this will be a new tradition for us that will start,” he said. “I’m going to put about 20 years’ worth of nameplates on the plaque for first, second and third (place winners).”