HOUSTON — Houston Independent School District (HISD) has earned another honor for the outstanding performance of its transportation department.

The special recognition award from the Council of the Great City Schools states that HISD’s transportation department stands as a model for exemplary performance in the use of technology, staff development and training, quick and efficient service, and resource stewardship.

The Council of the Great City Schools brings together the nation’s largest urban public school systems in a coalition dedicated to the improvement of education for children in the inner cities.

“This recognition speaks to the service excellence of the transportation staff,” HISD Chief Operating Officer Leo Bobadilla said. “It takes an incredibly strong team to safely transport more than 30,000 students to school every day.”

The award comes on the heels of the HISD transportation department being ranked in the “100 Best Fleets” list for the fourth consecutive year.

“I continue to be amazed at the incredible talents of all team members within the transportation department,” said Nathan Graf, HISD's general manager of transportation. “I am so fortunate to work alongside an awesome group of people.”