School BUSRide spoke with Beverly Young, MBA, CDPT. She is Transportation Supervisor at Suffolk Public Schools in Virginia, and instructed a PDS course at NAPT ACTS 24.
Please tell us about your history in pupil transportation.
I’ve bounced around a bit. I started driving a school bus for Lakota Local Schools in Kansas, Ohio, sometime around 1992 or 1993, right after graduating high school in 1991. It was a small district with just 28 buses, and I worked there part-time.
In 1995, I moved to Virginia with my husband and began driving for Newport News Public Schools. Over time, I worked my way up from Driver to Lead Driver, then to Area Key, and Supervisor, and eventually applied for a director’s position at Suffolk Public Schools. While they offered me a supervisor role instead, I accepted it, mainly because Newport News had just hired a director who was the same age as me, and there wasn’t much room to grow.
I joined Suffolk Public Schools in 2015. I did hold the director position briefly but stepped down to focus on my health and go back to school. I earned my MBA from the College of William & Mary and graduated in May 2024.
Suffolk is a moderate sized district. We serve just over 14,500 students and operate around 140 buses, though that can vary depending on the year and the number of students as Suffolk is consistently growing. Our transportation department is small: one director (currently out on medical leave), myself as interim director/supervisor, another supervisor, five dispatchers and two routers. Because our team is small, I stay busy. However, I always make time and stay very active in both NAPT and VAPT.
What are the biggest challenges you’ve observed in pupil transportation?
Like everyone else, our biggest challenge is the driver shortage. It’s not uncommon for me to hop on a bus to cover a route or transport students to an athletic event. I don’t mind—sometimes it’s peaceful and I enjoy interacting with the students. We are hoping to have a steady stream of applicants this summer in hopes of improving our driver shortage. We have weekly interviews and an upcoming job fair July 31 with onsite interviews.
Obtaining a CDL can be difficult for many people, and the training process itself is lengthy. If we get a steady stream of applicants, everything will run so much smoother.
What were your takeaways from the NAPT ACTS conference in 2024?
That conference was a bit different for me because I wasn’t just attending, I was instructing. I’ve been a Professional Development Series (PDS) instructor with NAPT since 2015, but this was the first time I co-taught with a more seasoned instructor as part of a refresher setup. I absolutely loved it.
We taught “Managing Human Resources 1” as a PDS course for those working toward their certification. I always encourage others to get certified—it’s valuable, not just for your resumé, but for the knowledge. The course materials are excellent and serve as great reference tools. I’ve gone back to my PDS books many times. Being able to co-instruct and learn from a veteran instructor was a major highlight for me.
What are you most looking forward to at the upcoming NAPT ACTS 25 conference?
One of the best things about NAPT conferences is the chance to learn outside of your local bubble. Most of my work is focused on Virginia, through the Virginia Association for Pupil Transportation (VAPT), so going to national events opens your eyes to practices in other states and even other countries.
I’ve met people from Canada and even Dubai at past NAPT conferences. It’s amazing to see how global our industry really is.
And I have to brag a little: I’m the committee chair for the VAPT RoadEO (a school bus driving competition), and our special needs driver winner from Montgomery County represented Virginia and placed second at the international competition. I’m so proud of her and of the work our state association does.
Even in my personal life, school buses follow me around. I was on a quick trip to Pittsburgh with my sister, and she started taking pictures of buses. I asked why, and she said, “Because you like school buses.” I said, “I work with school buses—I’m not obsessed!” I told her, “I’ll go take pictures of nurses for you at the hospital,” since she’s a nurse. We laughed about it.
But truly, I’m proud to be part of both VAPT and NAPT. The support, knowledge, and friendships you gain are invaluable.