• Age: 31

• Role: Coordinator of Transportation

• District: Douglas County School System

• Location: Douglasville, Georgia

There is no doubt about it: Michael Henley loves school buses. From an early age, he was fascinated by them, even collecting figurines and proudly sharing to all who asked that he wanted to be a school bus driver when he grew up.

By adulthood, he realized driving alone wouldn’t fully fund his extensive sneaker collection, so he pursued a degree in education while driving on the side. “Teaching was rewarding but not fulfilling,” he said, feeling the call to the yellow bus again. “What I love most is returning to the driver’s seat and connecting our kids with their futures.”

As with most of us, no two days are ever alike for Henley. The only constant is his alarm sounding at 3:30 each morning. By 5, he is helping with route coverage and administrative tasks, driving while also being on standby to answer questions via radio. Back at the office, he works with the team to analyze route and other data, update maps to keep up with district growth, respond to inquiries from the community, and troubleshoot technology.

Reflecting on when he first joined the industry 13 years ago, Henley says a lot of things look different now, making it important to never stop learning and to embrace change. “New technologies and ways to strategize about safe, efficient, and on-time arrivals are learned from the willingness to be receptive and open to feedback and constructive criticism,” he said.

“As a Millennial who is borderline Gen-Z, I have loved seeing the technological advances in student transportation,” he noted. “At one point, technology was just a hope; we did not have tablets, GPS, computerized route sheets, on-board surveillance, and/or safe driving technology.”

What he hopes to see more of is school bus drivers being valued and respected in the field of education. “The work of our school bus drivers often goes unnoticed in what is one of the most challenging jobs in the education system.”

His advice for incoming school bus professionals is to get out from behind a desk, earn a commercial driver’s license (CDL), and drive a school bus route. “Our roles revolve around supporting those who transport kids to and from school, and the best way to learn and understand the challenges is by getting behind the wheel, doing ride-alongs, and performing site visits.”