THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

David Cooper, the recently named transportation director for Vance County Schools (VCS), appeared on WIZS Town Talk Wednesday at 11 a.m.

Cooper, who has served VCS as assistant principal at both Aycock Elementary and Henderson Middle School, and, prior to, taught for twelve years at Dabney Elementary School, said he brings his experience in building relationships and respect to his new position.

“Working as an assistant principal, you deal with people, you deal with teachers, you deal with students and you deal with parents,” Cooper explained. “You learn how to build relationships and manage situations, which will be an asset in my work with the transportation department.”

In his years with the school system, Cooper said he also served as a bus driver and is familiar with many of the other drivers and transportation staff.

When asked about accepting a new position involving the transportation of students in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cooper laughed and said that wasn’t part of the original plan.

“I interviewed for the job back in February, before the pandemic, and was hired in July after things had settled down some. I didn’t plan on going in as director of transportation in a crisis, but I’m going to take it as it is and use it as a learning experience.”

With VCS being on a fully remote learning schedule for at least the first nine weeks of the 2020-21 academic year, Cooper said the transportation department is using this time to inspect the buses and make necessary repairs.

“If you see a VCS bus driving around Vance County, don’t be alarmed,” said Cooper. “It’s just our drivers making sure they are still running. Buses are supposed to be inspected every 30 days. I have a really good group of mechanics who are doing inspections and making sure the buses are on the road. We’ve found that some buses need to be repaired, so this is a good time to do that.”

VCS has approximately 110 buses in its fleet, including activity and smaller transportation buses. According to Cooper, the average school day last year saw 73-75 buses on Vance County roadways.

Calling the decision on bus transportation once schools reopen for in-person learning a “fluid situation,” Cooper said the current discussion is to have one child per bus seat with the possibility of siblings being allowed to share a seat.

Cooper also said the school system will continue to take statistics from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH), along with guidance from other school systems currently operating in at least a partial in-person manner, into consideration before any final decisions are made.

To hear the interview in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.