Oceanside Unified School District recruiting bus drivers

OCEANSIDE, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — Oceanside Unified School District is hosting a job fair Wednesday afternoon for those interested in learning more about what it takes to become a bus driver.

“Kids love the school bus,” said Leeann Conger, the district’s school bus driving instructor.

For the last 27 years, Conger has been greeting students with a smile while driving a school bus for the district.

“We want to make the experience that they have on our school busses the safest and the happiest part of their day,” Conger said.

That’s what she does every day starting at 6 a.m.

“We get to greet them. We’re the first thing they see coming into their school day,” she added.

The district only provides transportation to about 700 kids, including those with special needs and those living on base at Camp Pendleton, allowing them to build close relationships.

“Oh, I get emotional, because these children we start transporting them very young and we transport them all the way through to high school,” Conger said. “So we see them grow, we are a part of their families, they are a part of our transportation family.”

Oceanside Unified School District is looking for 10 to 15 drivers to join their transportation family.

“If you don’t have experience driving a school bus, we can train you,” said Ryan Brewer, the director’s director of transportation.

As long as you’ve completed all of the requirements and you have a good driving record, you can learn to drive a bus. Applications are available online .

This full-time job offers paid training, a $3,000 sign-on bonus and medical benefits. It pays about $21 to $23 per hour depending on experience.

“It is just such a rewarding job,” said Conger.

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