Meet Laura Hill Laura Hill started at Hillsborough County Public
Schools 25 years ago as a secretary at one of the dis- trict’s large high schools—ironically, the high school she graduated from. She had previously worked in another in- dustry, and after having her daughter, she was looking for a career that would allow her to spend more time with her child. That led her to teaching. As she finished her teaching degree and a year into being a secretary, she said school bus driving became an appealing way to log hours and not have to attend night classes. “Instead, I could go drive [my daughter] and all of her friends to school and then complete my education during the day while she was at school,” she said of her plan at the time. “That’s what started the transportation journey, and it didn’t take long to figure out that this was where I wanted to be. I fell in love,” After meeting the students and realizing the impact a driver can also have in
their lives, she fell in love with the profession. “I miss that. I’m just going to be honest,” she said, adding she still visits school pick-up locations periodically to be with the kids. “Because kids are my focus and have been since day one.” After working as a school bus driver for around two years, she applied for a
routing supervisor position. From there she moved into operations for about 10 years, before assuming her current role as general manager of transporta- tion, a position she’s held for almost four years. Hill noted that after driving, she continued to see the impact the office staff and administrators have on the children. For instance, making ride times shorter and assisting drivers with their needs. “I don’t think anybody honestly gets in this business for the money, if you don’t have a genuine love for kids or a love for being a positive impact on your community, then this isn’t really the place for you.” She said working her way through the department has provided a
well-rounded approach to transportation and gives her additional perspectives. “Being a bus driver first and understanding what it takes to get in that role, a lot of people don’t understand that,” she said, adding all her roles have helped her make better decisions to benefit the people that are taking care of the students. “So, if you are making a decision for an employee that’s taking care of your students, that’s the direct front line of taking care of your students.” Knowing that she’s been in the driver’s seat before allows her to better
communicate with her driving staff. “Being able to relate to how they feel, and then also being in this role and explaining to district leaders who don’t understand the complexities of transportation,” Hill said. “Our bus drivers are not like your teachers. Your teachers are in a classroom with students, behind secured locked doors where parents have to come in and out through the office with a security officer. “Our bus drivers do not have that,” she continued. “Our bus drivers open their
doors to the public with no security officer, no one to be that buffer or that filter. Our drivers are our communities’ faces to education because parents are at the bus stops, parents come to the schools, special needs drivers have to develop re- lationships with those parents. It’s really quite the thing to think about the impact that a driver literally has.” She said at the end of each day she asks herself: Did I do something positive
that impacted a family? “That’s the drive. That is definitely the drive,” she said. Hill finished her degree and has an AA in elementary education and a mas- ter’s in public administration.
58 School Transportation News • NOVEMBER 2026
are compounded at schools and transportation facili- ties throughout the county, while about 25 driver park the vehicles at home. The dis- trict transports about 75,000 students over 14 million miles annually. It operates three maintenance shops and is in the process of building an- other, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Its Harney Road facility serves as the main location, while the newest facility, South County Transportation Com- plex, opened in 2024. Each location maintains its own parts operation, and the district also operates its own body shop as well as maintains the district’s white fleet vehicles. “In a district of our size, there
have to be legs out some- where,” Hill said. That philosophy extends to
the department’s leadership structure. Four managers oversee key areas of the op- eration. Fleet Manager Nigel Burrell oversees yellow- and white-fleet maintenance and contracts. Corey Norris, who began his career with the district as a bus attendant in 1997, serves as the manager of safety and training. He over- sees everything from hiring, recruitment and responses involving bus stops to road closures and crashes. Kemba Shephard, operations manag- er, supervises seven regional supervisors, while routing manager Katrinka Davis over- sees routing and finance reporting. Each regional office includes a supervisor, two field compliance employees and a clerk. Dispatch, meanwhile, is centralized. Hill said having knowledge- able leaders throughout the operation allows the district to manage its size while main-
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