Platte County teacher, coach tackles bus driver shortage by expanding skill set

PLATTE COUNTY, Mo. (KCTV) - Tyrone Seymour calls himself a lifelong learner. He always wondered if it would be cool to have a CDL. This fall, something happened that made him finally take the leap.

The Platte County School District, where he teaches and coaches, was facing a bus driver shortage. He knows varsity teams take priority when it comes to travel. He coaches middle school boys football and girls basketball at Platte Purchase Middle School. He worried they’d miss out.

“I figured if I was able to drive my team there, then we’d be more likely if there was a shortage or a problem to be able to let those kids compete and have their turn at playing as well,” Seymour explained.

He wasn’t worried about kids being rambunctious on his bus, because they wouldn’t be just any kids.

“It helps when you’re their coach and you can make them run laps,” he said with a grin.

Pretty soon, he was driving for all kinds of school activities.

“In my 20 years, he’s the only coach that has went out and got his CDL so he could drive our students after school,” said Platte County School District Activities Director Gabe Middleton.

Middleton used to teach social studies with Seymour and knows him as more than just the guy who saved the day by going behind the wheel.

“He’s a great guy,” said Middleton.

Seymour has been an educator in the metro for 17 years, 11 of them with the Platte County School District. He teaches 7th graders about ancient world civilizations. Think so Mesopotamia, Egypt, Rome and Greece. He previously taught at Argentine Middle School, Renaissance Academy and Piper High School. He described himself as “one of the crazy ones” who likes middle school best.

This week, The Big Biscuit, a restaurant franchise based in Prairie Village, recognized 40 teachers across the Midwest to coincide with Teacher Appreciation Week. That’s 40 out of more than 900 nominated. Seymour is one of two winners in the Kansas City metro.

“I’ve really been surprised and happy with how much the school community and parents have appreciated it,” Seymour said. “I can’t say thank you enough to the parent who nominated me.”

“We’ve never missed a single athletic trip this year, and part of that is because of him,” said Director of Transportation JT Thomas.

That is Seymour’s biggest prize.

“Knowing that some of these kids who maybe would have their C-team baseball game canceled are now able to play and compete. Or knowing that kids who, maybe their parents can’t drive them up from one campus to the other to participate can. That’s by far the best part,” Seymour said.

The other local award winner is Raymore-Peculiar High School English teacher Jennifer Gingrich.

“Jennifer is not only an incredible teacher, but she’s doing an incredible job this year despite losing her father and undergoing a battle with cancer. She still puts her students first and goes to work every day, doing a fantastic job while undergoing chemo and radiation,” wrote her nominator Paula Dampier.

Back in Platte County, Thomas is doing what he can to recruit drivers for the next school year.

They were short five regular-route drivers and two trip drivers at the start of the 2023 school year. They had to adjust daily routes, making it take longer for kids to get to and from school. They filled all but two of the spots, but already they are down five again.

Life happens. Higher-paying jobs come up. The shifts typically add up to less than 40 hours per week, and they are paid hourly, not salary. It’s a struggle to stay fully staffed, and it’s a struggle that persists all across the nation.

Thomas said the starting hourly pay will go up to $21/hour next school year, with raises after that. They offer benefits to regular route drivers. They will pay for a CDL class and all permits needed. To find out more go to PlatteCountySchoolDistrict.com/Careers.

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