School bus team rolls in MLK parade
Pupil transporters from Hillsborough County (Fla.) Public Schools decorated a bus and took part in a local Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade that drew thousands of onlookers.
Drivers, attendants and other transportation staff members from Hillsborough County (Fla.) Public Schools decorated a bus and took part in a local Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade.
TAMPA, Fla. — A group of pupil transporters here spent Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrating the civil rights leader in a parade that drew thousands of onlookers.
School bus drivers, attendants and other transportation staff members from Hillsborough County Public Schools came together on Jan. 18 to take part in Tampa’s 27th annual Martin Luther King Day Parade.
The transportation team decorated one of Hillsborough’s new propane school buses for the parade, which covered a 2-mile route through east Tampa.
Jim Beekman, who came to Hillsborough as general manager of transportation in October 2014, told SBF that the department has been making great strides in improving morale. Along with the parade participation, another recent effort was the recognition of 81 school bus drivers who have at least 25 years of service with the district.
“We are working hard but finally starting to win the morale issue that has plagued this district for many years,” Beekman said, “and the cool part is the current employees are the ones doing it."
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