David Johnson, Executive Director, Iowa Pupil Transportation Association
School BUSRide spoke with David Johnson, executive director of the Iowa Pupil Transportation Association (IPTA) about his career in pupil transportation, the needs of Iowan student transportation professionals, and state collaboration with NAPT.
Please tell us about your path into student transportation and what led you to become executive director of the Iowa Pupil Transportation Association?
Like everybody, it really wasn’t on my radar. I think that’s one of the interesting things about the industry: nobody sees themselves getting into it, and then when they do, they can’t get out.
I actually started as a substitute driver at Van Meter after going through a layoff at another job. I already had my CDL, and the transportation director at the time twisted my arm to become a sub driver. From there, I just worked through the ranks. I went from substitute driver to getting a regular route pretty quickly, and eventually became transportation director for a small K-12 school district here in Iowa.
I did that for about 14 years, and during six of those years I served on the IPTA board. Through that experience, I became aware that the executive director position would be opening due to Chris Darling’s retirement. At that point, I decided it was time to make the move from the school district level to serving as executive director for IPTA.
With both frontline and administrative experience, what do you see as the biggest student transportation challenges facing Iowa today?
I think everybody always expects the answer to be the driver shortage.
That’s still part of it, but I’ve kind of changed the conversation a little bit. To me, it’s not just about getting drivers anymore, but about keeping good drivers. Retention is a huge issue, and that starts with recognizing the significance of what drivers do every day.
I think National Association for Pupil Transportation is doing a great job with the Driven Together campaign and helping people understand the importance of the yellow school bus and the role drivers play. They’re not “just bus drivers.” They’re trained professionals transporting our kids safely every day.
The more we can communicate that importance to the public, the more valued drivers feel, and that helps with retention.
The other issue is student behavior. I didn’t believe it for years, but it’s true — kids have changed. Behavior issues are a real struggle for drivers and transportation departments today.
What are IPTA’s main priorities and areas of focus right now?
One of our biggest priorities right now is increasing training opportunities for transportation departments. That’s been one of my main focuses since taking this role. I truly believe the more training we can provide, the better equipped people are to succeed.
I’m currently working with National Association for Pupil Transportation through the Professional Development Series courses and participating in the instructor training cohort. My hope is to bring even more professional development opportunities to transportation departments across Iowa.
Another priority is continuing to raise awareness about the importance of the yellow school bus industry and the people working in it. Transportation professionals play a critical role for school districts, and I think it’s important that people recognize that.
How can NAPT best collaborate with state associations like IPTA to strengthen the industry nationwide?
For me personally, one of the greatest benefits has been being involved as an affiliate member and building relationships with other states.
We have our affiliate gathering annually, and honestly, that’s where I feel the most collaboration happens. We attend conferences and events throughout the year, including the NAPT conference, but those affiliate meetings are incredibly valuable because everybody is sharing ideas and learning from one another.
We joke that we go there to “steal ideas” from each other, but that’s really what makes it so effective. Why recreate the wheel if another state has already developed something that works?
If Texas is doing something really well and I think it could help Iowa, I’m absolutely bringing that idea home. At the same time, we want other states to take ideas from us if it helps them improve.
I think that’s one of the coolest things about student transportation: everybody genuinely wants everyone else to succeed and do what’s best for kids.