The Manchester Enterprise
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Bus driver retiring after 29-year service
By Daniel Lai, Editor
PUBLISHED: May 31, 2007
When students board the buses for school once more in the fall, the familiar and friendly face of driver Karen Leach will not be there to greet them.
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Leach, whose has worked for the district's transportation department for roughly 29 years, will retire at the end of the school year.
"I think I've been doing it long enough," she said. "It's time to move on and try some new things."
Leach said when she was hired as a driver for the district, she never expected to stay on for as long as she did.
"It was a part-time job while my kids were in school," she said. "The hours were good mainly because it worked around my kids' schedules at school.
"I had holidays and summers off so that worked out well. We could all take vacation together without having to worry about having to work."
However, Leach said she fell in love with the job, and, although all of her kids are no longer in school, she decided to stay with the department.
"It just seemed to be the thing to do," she said. "I wanted to work more toward my pension before I left."
Over the years, Leach said she has seen a lot of changes that have made transporting students a lot safer including changing the bus fleet from manual control to automatic and regular gasoline to diesel.
"It has definitely come a long way from where it was when I first started," she said. "There are a lot more rules and regulations you have to follow. It's a lot to learn but I'm glad they changed things because all the changes are for the better."
Transportation Services Director Jeff Knasiak said Leach will definitely be missed among her co-workers.
"We're going to miss her experience and mentorship she has given to us," he said. "When you have someone who has been here, who knows the ropes and all the rules and policies, it's difficult to replace that person.
"She has an impeccable safety record and the kids just love her."
Leach said over the years, she hasn't had much trouble with rowdy kids on her bus.
"You always have some kids that are rowdy, but the majority are very good," she said.
One thing that she will miss is the interaction with both colleagues and students.
"Will I miss it? Sure I will," she said.
Leach said she doesn't have any definite retirement plans yet but will probably do some traveling.
Knasiak said the vacancy left by Leach will not be filled until the department's annual bid day five days before the start of the new school year.
"We'll be doing some interviews and should have the position filled before classes begin in the fall," he said.
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