She noted that
communication is a powerful tool when used correctly. She reminds her staff that she manages with the heart of a bus driver, a cross- ing guard and a parent. “It doesn’t matter
what shoe we wear. Each kiddo on that route should matter and feel loved,” she added.
Another change
Gardella made this school year was inviting tech-
Transportation staff at Rockwall ISD in Texas. The district was one of the six winners of the 2026 Top Transportation Team award.
Leadership From an Experience Brad Hayn, the transportation director at Hoover City Schools in Alabama, knows the importance of
treating people well. Hayn woke up one July morning in 2020 with no vision in his left eye. Seven days later, he was having surgery to remove a cancerous tumor, resulting in complete removal of the eye and a prosthetic replacement. He shared it was the same type of cancer that his dad died of when Brad was 22 years old. “That was a game-changing experience in itself for me and really kind of focused on some different things in my life,” he said. Two months later, his wife Kelli contracted COVID-19. The couple went about six weeks without seeing
and communicating with each other, as she was in a critical care unit at the University of Alabama Birming- ham Hospital. The year that followed was marked by her recovery as well as his own medical treatments and testing. It became a turning point in how he viewed both life and leadership. Hayn said he reflected on the way he had interacted with people in the past and recognized that he
wanted to approach those relationships differently. Those closest to him, he continued, would likely de- scribe him as a completely different person afterward, as the experience helped bring greater clarity to what truly deserved his time, attention and energy. “We just need to get through the situation,” he said. “We need to solve the problem, and then we’re going to move on because there’s much bigger things in life that are more important. That’s just really the experience I would say has contributed to my leadership style more than anything else that I’ve been through.” He recalled meeting with the transportation department for the first time and sharing this story, so they
could understand that he’s a person, too. “It’s empowered me to have is a relationship with the people that work in our department,” he said.
“Whatever’s going on in their life, I’m empowered enough and understand that they need me and they need support.” He said work is not only about getting the route covered but also about compassion. Sometimes, the best place for people is not to be at work. Instead, they need to be with their family or someplace else.
28 School Transportation News • OCTOBER 2026
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
