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esides culture and mutual respect, the industry’s school district leaders said transparency, show- ing up and leading by example are the factors that keep their employees in the driver’s seat.


During a panel at STN EXPO West on July 13,


representatives from six winners of the 2026 Top Transportation Teams award sponsored by Transfind- er discussed the leadership practices that have helped build strong, resilient operations. This year’s honorees included Franklin Square Union Free School District and Pembroke Central School District in New York; Wa-Nee Community Schools and Franklin Township Communi- ty School Corporation in Indiana; Hoover City Schools in Alabama; and Rockwall Independent School District in Texas. Five of the six districts are repeat winners. Rather than focusing solely on employee incentives


or organized team-building activities, the panelists repeatedly returned to the importance of relationships. Leaders described creating family-oriented workplaces by recognizing birthdays, sharing meals and organizing staff activities. Perhaps most importantly, they make themselves available when employees face challenges at work or at home. That presence can require transportation directors to


leave the office. Some panelists regularly spend time in driver rooms, meet individually with employees or even drive routes themselves. They said doing so helps lead- ers better understand daily challenges while building credibility with frontline staff. The discussion also highlighted the connection be-


tween a supportive culture and operational resilience. When employees need time away because of illness, family emergencies or personal hardships, panelists said coworkers frequently step in to cover routes and respon- sibilities. Giving employees grace, they explained, often created a workplace where staff were more willing to extend that same support to one another. Ultimately, the winning teams emphasized lead-


ership that is personal, intentional and collaborative. Transportation directors were encouraged to avoid micromanaging, give employees ownership of their work, seek mentorship and continue having meaningful conversations with staff regardless of how large their operation becomes. As Transfinder CEO Antonio Civitella summarized


during the discussion, successful leaders should never “outgrow the basics” of treating employees as people first. Brad Hayn, the transportation director at Hoover City Schools in Alabama, knows the importance of treating people well. “We need to have that compassion in how we lead and how we lead people” he said, adding that winning the Top Transportation Teams award isn’t about


26 School Transportation News • OCTOBER 2026


him as the leader but about the people that make up the organization. “Without people who


care about being part of the department, suc- cess doesn’t happen,” he said. “And in our department, our great- est attribute is that they care about one anoth- er, and they care about the students in the city that we serve, and they want to do the best job they can do on a daily basis. And without that, nothing happens. But they are invest- ed as a department, as a group of people that I get to work with, and I’m just super excited every day to get to work with them because they give to me far more than I can ever give to them.” One thing that Hayn did differently this school


start-up season was to offer transportation-specific professional development for his staff. He noted that generally school system professional development is geared toward the school building and classroom. This year, he said, his staff received three days of


professional development covering route basics, pre-tripping and post-triping buses, and everything in between. The first two days covered the Wayfinder school bus driver navigation app, submitting main- tenance requests, taking attendance, and handling disciplinary issues. Day three focused on de-escalation techniques. “Student behaviors are elevated,” he said, regardless of


whether one is working in a classroom or a school bus. “We went through with all of our transportation employ- ees... de-escalation techniques and how you de-escalate students, especially on the bus, in reference to meeting your main goal, which is to safely transport students to and from school. “Ultimately, what we’ve got to do is we’ve got to get that


student who may be elevated for whatever reason during that route to de-escalate, so we can transport not just that student, but all the students on the busses safely.” Hayn shared that employee feedback was positive, and they appreciated that it was transportation focus with specifics. “It really was all about giving them more tools in the toolbox,” he said adding that they worked in- house with the support system within the district.


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