Leander ISD is celebrating Transportation Appreciation Week from October 21-25. All of #1LISD extends some extra gratitude this week to our district drivers, monitors, mechanics, crossing guards and the entire transportation department!

LISD Transportation: By the Numbers

  • Leander ISD transports about 12,000 students to and from school every day
  • The transportation department runs 165 routes
  • About 6,000 trips are completed each year 
  • LISD transportation runs about 3 million miles a year

Leander ISD Sr. Director of Transportation, Tracie Franco, says this is only possible because of the dedication, professionalism and relentlessness of the staff members who make up the transportation department. “Our team is made up of retired professionals, college students, single parents, and best of all — people who love what they do,” Franco said. 

For the district’s transportation department, the primary focus is the students. “You ask anyone in this department why they do what they do, and the resounding answer will be, the kids!” Franco said. “This is why Leander ISD Transportation is amazing and I am so proud of who we are and what we do for the students and community. Thank you to the best transportation department in Texas.”

Featured LISD Staff Members

Bri-Clemmons Evrin, Bus Operator

Meet Bri Clemons-Evrin, a Leander ISD bus driver serving her community and shaping the future, one student at a time.

Being a bus driver isn’t just a job to her, it’s an opportunity to create fun, safety, and – most importantly – meaningful connections. In her five months with LISD, she’s already helped students who ride with her be ready to step up in case of emergencies.

Forrest Caward, Transportation Router

For Forrest Caward, Leander ISD special needs transportation router, driver — and Leander High School graduate — returning to the district as an employee was like coming home.

“My mom’s been a driver here for 30 years and I practically grew up on the bus, ” Caward said. “I was in the banking industry for a while and wanted to get out of that. LISD was the best school district ever, in my opinion, and I wanted to start contributing to it, so I applied and have been working here for two years. Some of the drivers that were here when I was in school are still around. They were my family then and they’re my family now.”

Aside from driving, Forrest takes pride in optimizing the best possible route for the students on the bus. “We all work as a team to make sure the children arrive at school on time,” he said.

Issiaga Traore, Bus Operator

Celebrating Issiaga Traore! He spent over 15 years in news production before joining Leander ISD as a bus driver in 2020. Honoring the trust parents place in him daily, driving for LISD is his expression of community support towards our students and families.

Leah Anderson, Bus Operator

Meet Leah Anderson, the driver of the Leander ISD’s “Geography Bus”! Her unique tradition of “Well Traveled Wednesdays” takes her Monta Jane Akin Elementary bus riders on a cultural journey every week – from traditional music, warm greetings in different languages, to even a stamp in their very own passports.

Leah is a shining example that education isn’t limited to classroom instruction and that all #1LISD staff are educators.