LORI VINCI

DILLONVALE — Longtime bus driver Lori Vinci is taking the wheel as the new transportation supervisor for Buckeye Local Schools.

A Bloomingdale resident, Vinci began her duties on Aug. 1 and will celebrate 31 years with the district in October. She has driven hundreds of students in grades K-12 during her tenure, including those who have attended Buckeye Local, Jefferson County Joint Vocational School and area Catholic and Christian schools, and while she was ecstatic about taking this next step she said it also was a bit bittersweet.

“I’ve loved driving the bus and it was the best decision I ever made. The hardest part was known I would be leaving the kids,” she said. “The bus kids were my kids. I had a lot of special needs kids with autism and watched them grow into the people they are.”

Vinci said the job combined her love of kids and an enjoyment for driving and she gained more knowledge about routes and operations through the years. She most recently helped as trip coordinator under the administration of Superintendent Scott Celestin.

“Scott was retiring and I helped him for the last several years with runs, new students and as trip coordinator. I applied for this position and was hired in June.”

Until recently, transportation fell under the umbrella of Celestin’s duties. Now that it is a separate position once again, Vinci wants to put her sole focus on ways to efficiently run the department, which includes about 16 drivers and a fleet of 20 vehicles that cover 128 square miles and transport an estimated 1,470 students. She said one plan is to refine routes for smoother operations.

“I’m looking forward to riding the routes and refining them and getting things back on track,” she said. “It will be a great year and we have a good staff, and I want to do my best for the district and the kids.”