EDITOR’S TAKE


Home is Where the Heart Is Written by Ryan Gray | ryan@stnonline.com S


tudent transporters are innately connected to the communities they serve. We talk about yellow blood coursing through our veins, but the com- mitment behind that familiar expression is very


real. It is a responsibility to students, parents and taxpay- ers that extends far beyond getting a school bus from one stop to the next. Laura Hill, STN’s 2026 Transportation Director of the


Year, demonstrates what that commitment can look like. She is certainly not the first transportation leader to


serve the community where she grew up. But few can trace their connection so directly. Her office at Hillsbor- ough County Public Schools in Florida is located one block from her childhood home. She rode the district’s school buses, attended its schools and watched her daughter graduate from the same system. She has spent 25 years working for the district that helped raise her. After briefly working outside education, Hill set out to


become a teacher. She took a job with the school district and then began driving a school bus while complet- ing her degree. Like many in this industry, she entered transportation almost by chance. She discovered a call- ing and chose to stay. She rose through routing and operations to become general manager of transportation, now responsible for transporting approximately 75,000 students across a district spanning roughly 1,000 square miles. That makes for a compelling hometown success story.


But the reason Hill deserves national recognition is what she has done with the experiences she gathered along the way. Having been behind the wheel herself, she under- stands the demands placed on drivers in ways an organizational chart cannot convey. She puts students and families first, but she also recognizes that safe, reliable service depends on whether the employees entrusted with that responsibility are prepared and sup- ported. At Hillsborough County, that means more than praise


for employees. It means driver mentoring, ongoing training, recognition and communication. Hill has made professional development a priority, sending teams to state and national conferences to bring new ideas and skills back to their colleagues. She has also worked with district leaders to improve driver pay and recruitment. A shortage of roughly 250 drivers, when she assumed the


14 School Transportation News • NOVEMBER 2026


position a fews years ago, has fallen to about 50. Those efforts matter even when the school buses are running on time. Transportation departments cannot wait for a crisis to invest in the people who make daily service possible. And the stakes extend well beyond staffing levels and


operational efficiency. Recent tragedies remind us of the enormous respon-


sibility the industry carries. In nearby Polk County, Florida, a student died after another motorist crossed the center line and struck a school bus. A week earlier in Texas, another student was killed when a school bus left the roadway, struck a culvert and overturned. The circumstances were different, and training cannot elim- inate every danger. Yet both tragedies underscore why vigilance, preparation and support for transportation employees can never be afterthoughts. That’s the larger lesson in Hill’s story. Leaders need not


have grown up in their districts to care deeply about the communities they serve. They build those connections by getting to know families, listening to employees, in- vesting in their development, and making decisions with the people riding and operating the buses top of mind. And while it’s tempting to view the Transportation


Director of the Year award as recognition of one person’s accomplishments, Hill’s example reminds us that effec- tive leadership is also measured by how well we equip others to succeed. As you read Taylor Ekbatani’s cover feature and the


rest of this month’s magazine, consider what your own employees need to succeed. Are you preparing the next generation of leaders? Are you giving drivers, techni- cians and support staff the tools, training and confidence to do their jobs? Do you know where your team’s great- est challenges lie? Hill says she ends each day asking whether she made


a positive difference for a family. That’s a worthwhile question for all of us. After all, taking care of students begins with taking care of the people entrusted to bring them home. ●


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78