For nearly a dozen Sun City residents, piloting a Huntley Community School District 158 school bus means helping students safely reach their destinations. But it also means taking control of their own destinies in a job that puts them in the driver’s seat both literally and figuratively.
A hairdresser by trade, Debi Calvin said a bet convinced her to take the wheel.
“I had a customer who said, ‘Why don’t you become a bus driver?’” said Calvin. “I thought, are you kidding? We bet, and I did it. I really do enjoy it.”
Her thoughts on commanding a forty-foot bus?
“I’ve always wanted to drive these big, massive things,” said Calvin. “Honestly, it is no harder to drive than a car. It really isn’t.”
Dan Armstrong, Director of Communications and Public Engagement for District 158 says they have had Sun City residents working in the Transportation Department for nearly twenty years.
“We pay for the training, so for folks with no experience, we’ll help them get whatever they need for the bus driver permit. We have openings right now,” said Armstrong.
Sun City resident Joe Krausert, a retired sales executive, said he was prompted to skipper a school bus simply because he had time on his hands.
“A lot of retired people pick up jobs. I heard 158 was looking for drivers, so I applied,” said Krausert.
After more than a decade behind the wheel, Krausert recently switched gears and became a bus aide.
“The pandemic came around, and my commercial driver’s license ran out,” explained Krausert. “I turned 76, and I thought, that’s enough driving.”
Now, Krausert mans a preschool bus, helping the youngest students ride safely by strapping them into their booster seats.
Phone: (847) 659-3000
Email: Laura Hooper: lhooper@district158.org
Riding the routes is more about the journey than the destination.
For Krausert, meeting the kids is the best part.
“They talk about their day and what they’re going to do. This morning, a child had just rescued a rescue dog, and that’s all she wanted to talk about,” said Krausert.
“I just have a ball with these kids,” said Calvin. “When it’s somebody’s birthday, we’ll get on the mic and sing happy birthday. For Christmas, we sing Christmas carols.”
But the buses aren’t all fun and games, especially when Covid-19 came along for the ride. Keeping the buses shipshape is part of the job.
“They’re wiped down after each run,” said Krausert. “They’ve got their sprays and their rags. The drivers and the aides work very hard at keeping it safe.”
And the tiny travelers?
“The children handle it better than adults,” said Calvin. “You tell a kid to wear a mask, they will pop it on, and they’re good to go.”
Krausert added, “As young as three or four years old, they come marching on with their masks and go right to their seats. They know exactly what’s going on.”
Flexibility was key in drawing these drivers to the fleet.
Calvin previously drove both morning and afternoon routes, until the pandemic, when she needed to watch her grandkids while her daughter and son-in-law worked. But the district came through.
“I told them that I think I have to quit,” said Calvin, who said the district helped her navigate a revised morning-only schedule. “I start at quarter to seven and I’m home by ten after eleven. They really do believe that family comes first.”
Krausert’s morning route also gives him plenty of free time.
“I have to be in by six, and I’m home by eight-thirty,” said Krausert.
Armstrong said that Del Webb residents bring an important quality to a job where they are the first person a child sees after leaving home each morning.
“They have great opportunity to set the tone for that kid’s day,” said Armstrong.
Krausert concurs.
“It’s an important job,” said Krausert. “I’m not trying to blow it up into a great big deal, but it’s important what the bus drivers and the bus aides do.”
What keeps Calvin logging the miles is a feeling of independence and adventure.
“You get on a bus, be with your kids, and do your thing,” said Calvin. “I’m the captain of that ship, and I like it.”
