Dala Grunder is a pillar of the D38 Transportation Team. In fact, she is nearing 50 years of service in D38! She first filled the role of bus driver back in the 1970s, and about 10 years ago, she transitioned to a role in the transportation department front office.
The Communications Team sat down to talk with Dala about her tenure in D38 and why she has chosen to make School District 38 her longtime workplace home.
Almost 50 years in D38 is incredible! What initially drew you to a career in transportation in our school district?
At the time, I was a single parent with two little boys, one of whom had just started kindergarten. I needed a job, and my cousin, who had started driving a bus the year before, encouraged me to come over and drive a bus. Initially, I subbed, and for the first year, I drove for a driver that went to school every afternoon. I filled in for him during the afternoons. Back then, whoever you drove for, paid you. They wrote you a check or paid you with cash. When the special education route came open, I was asked about trying that. I always thought when I first started that this was perfect for having kids in the district, and it'd be great until something better came along.
What is your background with D38? How about your kids?
I have two kids. They went to school in D38, and so did I. I went to Lewis-Palmer High School back when it was located at the current site of the Grace Best facility. I started in D38 in eighth grade, and at that point in time, we had Palmer Lake Elementary, which was through sixth grade, and then LPHS, which was eighth through twelfth grade.
What has kept you with D38 for so many years?
Most importantly, it’s the people I have worked with through the years. It's always been like a family. People watch out for each other. You never feel like you should hesitate to ask for help with something you're doing, whether it's driving or working here in the office. Another big part of it is the comfort of people you have known for a long time. The work ethic is good here for everybody. It's like Julie [Transportation Manager] said in one of our meetings, “There are no cliques here.” The drivers are here to help the new drivers and all the new people. I think that drivers are still comfortable coming in, if they have a problem or a question. And if we don't know the answer, we'll find out for them. It’s just a really, really good group of people and a good atmosphere.
Could you share some of the most significant changes you’ve witnessed in school transportation since 1976?
When I first started, your test was to go drive on French's Hill. We would have to stop there, and of course, back then, everything was a stick shift/clutch. Most of the buses had split axles where you split the gears, and there was no power steering, no air brakes, nothing like that. If you could stop on the hill without rolling back at all, you were pretty much hired. Coy, the guy who hired me, asked, “What do you drive?” That was his first question. I answered that I had a 1970s bug. His response was then, “This is the same thing, just bigger. A lot bigger.” He just wanted to know if I could drive a clutch, and that was basically it. You just needed a regular driver's license back then, and they gave you a little card like the one we have with a photo framed on the wall in our transportation building.
The difference with our drivers now is that they go through extensive training and their testing is unreal. So many hours, and it's not just the initial testing and training. It's yearly. You have to have somebody that rides with you to see how you're doing on your route. You have a written test from CDE, and then you have to do the pre-trip evaluation for each drive. So it's a lot. When these guys come through, and they pass the first time I say, “Good for you! That’s quite an accomplishment.”
Do you have a memorable experience or story from your time as a driver that stands out to you?
I had one student from the Prairie Winds Elementary route who wasn't acting like himself. So I went back on the bus and asked him, "Are you okay? Are you feeling sick?” He shared that he hit his head, and was having issues with seeing. So I went ahead and called in, and shared that I was taking him home. He wasn’t feeling well. I asked for his mom or dad to meet me at the bus stop. Later, his mom shared with me that he had a severe concussion, and they had no idea. She wanted to thank me for noticing it.
Talk to me about the new technology, like the new SMART tag bus app.
It's pretty amazing. We've had growing pains, and there’s a learning curve with it, but it's an amazing program. It really is. I'm not a map reader or good with directions, so to have a tablet that can actually use voice and tell me where to go and where to turn, it's life-saving. I think it's so much safer. You can use it with voice instructions, or you can just have the map on the tablet. It's just so much safer. For a driver who isn't familiar with the area, it’s so much easier than reading the map, and watching traffic and kids. To me, it's a no brainer.
When you first started driving, how did you do that? Did you have maps? Did you have to memorize the routes?
You did your own maps—that was part of it. You sat there, and drew your route map in a spiral notebook. So it worked, of course, but there was no traffic. It’s a huge challenge to drive with the traffic and all the construction.
What are some of the challenges you've faced in your role over the years, and how have you overcome them?
In all honesty, out of all the years that I drove, which is like 39 years, my biggest challenge was driving on slippery roads. I always was so nervous about that, and somebody told me a few years ago, “As long as you've been driving, you must not even get nervous driving in this.” I responded, “Oh, yes, I do! The day that I get up and come to drive the bus, do my route, and it's slick, and I'm not nervous, that's the day I should just hang up the key and go home. I think when you're nervous, you're a little bit more cautious.” Dealing with students and stuff, I never really felt challenged with that.
What advice would you give to new employees joining the transportation team today?
Find at least one mentor–a driver. All of our drivers are eager to help and show you the ropes because it's a lot to remember. It's a lot to learn, and when you're on the bus with all the kids sitting behind you, it’s easy to feel pretty overwhelmed and alone. Also, ask questions. Don't be afraid to do that because we've all been there. We have a really, really good group, and I can't think of one driver who would not be helpful in any way. There's a lot to remember, and there's a lot that you learn as you go. You can learn procedures, and how to handle students, or what to do if stuck in the mud or snow.
Do you have any other stories, thoughts, or anything else that you would like to share?
I just have a funny story about my oldest son. The only bus referral [disciplinary action] he ever got was from me. And he's never let me forget it! He and one of his friends rode my bus. There was a younger girl who had a crush on my son, so she always teased him. One day, my son and his friend took one of her boots, and I didn't initially realize they did that, but once I figured it out, I immediately went to their school and found both of them. It wasn't even super serious, but that gave me some more street credibility. They other kids thought, “She'll write up her own kid!”