Next fall will bring waves of change to the Mercer Island School District, much of which will affect transportation.

Northwood Elementary will open its doors on the Island, spurring a need for new bus routes for elementary students in the school district. Mercer Island High School will move back start times on Wednesdays, creating new route times for students in the middle of the week.

The district plans to address those transportation changes in-house, and is looking to hire more bus drivers to do so. Some current drivers didn’t initially see themselves getting behind the wheel, but say it makes for a rewarding experience they wouldn’t trade in.

Before she signed on as a substitute bus driver in 2010, Kristiann Schoening’s previous driving experience was carpooling with her kids to school for 15 years. She said she got into bus driving as a way to become more engaged with her community.

“Every time I tell somebody I’m a school bus driver, I laugh,” she said. “It is so fun, and I don’t think people realize that. There’s this joy about it. It’s not like every day is like that because there are some challenging situations and you need to build up a pool of experiences, but it puts a smile on my face when I go to work. I enjoy it a lot.”

Schoening said she typically works between two and two-and-a-half hours in the morning and afternoon, with four or five hours in the middle of the day to do whatever she wants, be it schedule appointments, exercise, work in the garden, walk the dog or take care of chores. The schedule flexibility is one of the best parts of the job.

David Bynum, director of transportation for the school district, said bus drivers work 180 days a year for a permanent route position. The district will hold a class for drivers this summer, and Bynum said he’s looking for 10 people to sign up.

“We provide all the training that would get them a commercial driver’s license,” Bynum said, adding the district reimburses for the required DOL testing costs.

After working as a service manager in the car business for 25 years, Derik Oakley was simply looking for a career change. Last summer, Oakley completed his driver training and began driving routes in the fall.

“It was attractive because I have a son in high school, so every day he has off, I have off,” Oakley said. “It’s a better quality of life. My commute is two minutes. All the boxes are checked off for a lifestyle change.”

Though his position qualifies as part-time work, Oakley said one may make the position as full-time as they wish. Working hours are usually available supervising students during lunch or recess at Island schools, as well as working as a parapro.

Oakley said driving a large school bus may appear a little intimidating, but he wouldn’t hesitate recommending the job to others who may be looking for something to do.

“It is a challenge but it is rewarding,” he said. “It feels somewhat like it’s community service, it’s really enjoyable. The kids are absolutely hilarious, I get entertained on a daily basis. It can be challenging at times, but you come home at the end of the day and feel like you’ve made an impact on some of the kids’ lives by either teaching them a lesson or making them smile or making them laugh. It’s really rewarding.”

Schoening said the position may suit a lot of people, so long as they’re open to taking up driving.

“I think there are more people on the Island who should consider it,” she said. “I know it’s not a high-paying job, but if you look at how it allows you to engage in your community and the flexibility with the schedule within the day, I think there are a lot of people on the Island who would benefit from being school bus drivers. It’s a great job and it’s fun.”

For more on driving for the Mercer Island School District, visit the district’s FAQs page at www.mercerislandschools.org/Page/110.