By Jerry Grillo
Two dedicated employees in the White County School System were recognized last week for their exceptional commitment to special needs students, as Jack Haas was named Bus Driver of the Year and Johnny Taylor was honored with the Employee of the Year award.
For Haas, the accolade crowns a decade of service behind the wheel — five of those years devoted to transporting special needs students. After retiring from a 40-year career at Publix and relocating from Florida, Haas took a friend’s advice and applied for a bus driver position. The decision changed his life.
“I started on a regular route, but when a special needs opening came up, I went for it, and I got hooked,” Haas said. “There’s just something special about working with these kids. No matter the challenges, they’re smiling, they’re full of life.”
Haas and his wife, Pam — who now serves as his bus monitor since retiring from Regions Bank — have become fixtures in the lives of the children they transport from home to school and back again. Whether it’s Pam’s weekly homemade baked treats (brownies are a hit) to the occasional Dairy Queen stop, the couple has built more than a route; they’ve built a community.
“We’ve built real friendships. Not just with the kids, but with their parents,” Haas said.
And Haas’ contributions go well beyond the driver’s seat. Six years ago, he founded the “Stuff the Bus” campaign, a school supply drive that has grown into a county-wide effort. Basically, Haas and volunteers collect school supplies for kids in need — donors literally stuff a parked bus with supplies.
Each year they collect between $12,000 and $15,000 in supplies, according to Haas.
Haas has only had two jobs in his life — Publix and this one. Guess which one he likes most?
“It’s not about the money,” he said. “It’s about the connection. And I try to make it good for the kids. I’d ride my own bus any day.”
Taylor is a paraprofessional at Mount Yonah Elementary School, where he works closely with students in need of behavioral and academic support. Taylor’s empathy stems from personal experience.
“I was one of those kids growing up,” Taylor said. “So, it really doesn’t seem difficult to me. I just try to be the adult that I needed.”
Taylor works primarily with tier two and tier three students (those requiring additional interventions beyond the standard classroom environment) and students with behavioral challenges.
“Seeing these students face challenges every day and push through — that’s what keeps me going and keeps me really into this job,” Taylor said.
Taylor, who described his work as a “labor of love,” emphasized the importance of showing up consistently for students who may not have that support elsewhere.
“I enjoy seeing the progress they make every day,” Taylor says. “I enjoy seeing them overcome.”