The pictures on social media and on the breaking news broadcast of the small creeks that became raging rivers and the rivers that wiped out the highways and bridges in Montgomery and surrounding counties in early May were devastating. Few people know that there are employees in the school district who traverse those roads to make sure the students of Willis ISD can avoid these disasters that cause danger to the community. Several staff members of Willis ISD were monitoring the weather since the night before the weather event to see if bus drivers would be able to drive on the roads so that they could get the kids to school dry and safe.
There is even one of those employees who went from bus driver to hero while the rest of the staff were safe in their homes. That is where Transportation Director Francisco Gonzalez steps in.
“Student safety is our number one priority,” Gonzalez said. “On days of inclement weather me and the Transportation Supervisor (Sid Tabangcura) go out and access all known troublespots in the districts. From there we communicate with our superintendent so the best decision is made for the district and residents. The drivers and our dispatch stay in constant communication so we can alter routes if needed for safety.”
Safety is the number one concern in Willis ISD to ensure the safety of students in the district. Many officials patrol the roads so students can get to school safely.
“I asked Mr. Gonzalez to ride with him on a morning of anticipated bad weather,” Superintendent Kimberley James said. “We met at 4 a.m. And drove the streets of Willis. Ensuring that our buses would be able to drive the roads of our school district safely.”
After a call with the Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Gonzalez learned that there was a need for a rescue. He picked up a family from an evacuation site and drove them to a shelter in the Woodlands.
“I have done a lot in my life, including some traveling around the world,” Gonzalez said. “I have transported nuclear warheads to Air Force and Army Generals in combat locations. Not saying I am not scared of anything, but I understand the need for helping in times of extreme need, sometimes putting my needs and fears to the side. Considering the weather I didn’t want to put my drivers in harm’s way.”
Just this year, Gonzalez has transitioned to the job of Transportation Director for the district.
“I originally went to Conroe ISD to get my Commercial Drivers License (CDL) just to drive a route,” Gonzalez said. “Driving a school bus for Conroe really helped me reconnect and adjust back into my new lifestyle, and I met some great people along the way. I loved driving my route and being able to spend time with the students prior to and after school. Shortly after I was asked if I wanted to become a CDL trainer and tester. Once again I found another reason I liked my job more and more. I was able to train and test new drivers how to operate a bus safely while transporting thousands of students back and forth to school daily.”
After finding a job he loved, he then made a change to Willis ISD.
“One day during a training event in College Station I met another employee of Willis ISD that asked me if I would like to come work for them,” Gonzalez said. “I have worked at Willis ISD for 15 months and have absolutely loved and enjoyed it every minute.”
On May 2nd and 3rd all of the students of Willis ISD were sent an alert that school was canceled due to all of the heavy rain that had happened that morning and the night before. While they were home safe, they had no idea that there was a hero at the bus barn ready to recuse those in need.
“There was a lot of flooding in my neighborhood that morning,” sophomore Natalia Herrera said. “It’s good that they decided to cancel school because if not I would have been walking in all of the puddles when I was going to my bus stop.”
Not only does Willis ISD look out for their students but they also look out for all of their staff to make sure that they can arrive at school safely and one time.
“The roads in and out of my area were flooded,” chemistry teacher Jacquetta Wilson said. “We also had trees down across the water. We couldn’t leave the area until the trees were removed.”
The ultimate goal for the district is to transport all of the students safely. And get them where they need to be.
“As far as accomplishments with Willis ISD transportation, It would be continue to maintain our fleet so that we provide the safest possible way to get all our students to school safely,” James said.
