After 22 years of repairing vehicles for the U.S. Army, the retiring soldier wondered who it was that worked on all those yellow school buses.
About 14 years ago, Prentis Shaw satisfied his curiosity and began a new career in the civilian work force.
The Killeen ISD transportation fleet support manager is a STEEL Award winner for the month of April. STEEL stands for Supporting the Education and Empowerment of Learners.
“Because of your leadership and organization, maintenance and repairs are completed quickly, minimizing downtime and keeping operations smooth,” said KISD Executive Director for Transportation Myron Wilson.
“At the start of this school year, your team’s commitment truly shined — every single route bus was ready to roll on day one, with no major delays or interruptions for students.”
Shaw is naturally inclined toward fixing what’s broken. His dad was an auto mechanic, and he remembers as a child marveling at his father’s ability to hear a problem with an engine and solve it.
When he retired from the military, Shaw brought his abilities to KISD and has moved up the ranks like an ambitious soldier.
Now, the one-time mechanic is a manager leading seven teams of mechanics to keep more than 500 buses and other fleet vehicles shuttling students to and from school and on trips outside the district.
“I retired from Fort Hood in 2011, and I used to see the school buses running around and I used to wonder who worked on those school buses and I found out that there were mechanics and I applied for a job,” he recalled.
Shaw spends much of his time staying in touch with vendors and making sure the transportation maintenance department is always equipped with parts for a 500-vehicle fleet.
The fleet manager looks across the rear parking lot at the Sheridan Transportation Center in south Killeen from inside the maintenance bays and takes satisfaction in the smooth overall operation.
“What I like is just getting to the kids stop on time and getting them to school safely,” he said.
Completely confident in the mechanics, all of which he hired, to maintain safe, reliable buses, as well as the vehicles that shuttle employees to work sites, brings satisfaction.
“They put the word safety first,” he said. “Staying safe is the key because we are transporting precious kids every day. My mechanics take the time to ensure they are safe – brakes, tires, oil, fuel – they check all of that daily.”
While he sees a big picture of hundreds of children getting to school and back safely and comfortably, Shaw also appreciates the view of individual riders.
When he first started with KISD as a mechanic, on many days, he drove a bus route.
He remembers a child complaining about a malfunctioning air conditioner on the bus. Shaw was in complete agreement that the AC needed to be fixed.
The new transportation employee with 22 years’ military experience pulled his bus into the maintenance area, reported the issue and personally made certain his students enjoyed a comfortable ride the next day.
“That kid came up to me and gave me a high five getting on the bus and two high fives getting off because he was so happy to have AC.”
Killeen ISD photo albums: https://www.killeenisd.org/photos