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CORRESPONDENT LAURA CHAVEZ’S STORY ON A RURAL IOWA SCHOOL COPING WITH WHAT’S A NATIONAL PROBLEM, A SHORTAGE OF BUS DRIVERS. SO, LAURA, NICE TO SEE YOU WHEN YOU ARRIVE TO COVER THE STORY. IT WAS PRETTY MUCH A STRAIGHTFORWARD STORY. AND THEN THERE WAS A TWIST. WHAT WAS THE TWIST? YEAH, WE HAD IT ALL LAID OUT. IT WAS GOING TO BE A BEAUTIFUL INTRO SUNRISE OVER CORNFIELDS. THE BUS BARN DOORS GO UP AND YOU SEE A BUS PULLING OUT. THAT MORNING WE WALKED INTO THE BUS BARN ABOUT 4 A.M., AND YOU COULD FEEL THE TENSION IN THE ROOM. EIGHT OF THE 24 BUS DRIVERS THAT WERE SLATED TO DRIVE THAT DAY CALLED OUT FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER. AS YOU SAW IN THE PIECE, TEACHERS WERE GRABBING SETS OF CAR KEYS. ONE OF THE BUS DRIVERS EVEN JOKED AT ONE POINT IN TIME, HE LOOKED AT MYSELF IN THE CREW AND SAID, THEY CAN DRIVE, RIGHT? WHY DON’T WE PUT THEM BEHIND THE WHEEL? MERCIFULLY, WE DRIVE RIGHT? EXACTLY. DRIVING A BUS? YEAH. I DON’T THINK WE WERE GOING TO BE BEHIND A BIG BUS, BUT THEY HAD DEFINITELY CONSIDERED PUTTING US BEHIND ONE OF THE SHUTTLES. WE WERE KIND OF. GAME. HOW’S THE SCHOOL DOING NOW? JEFF CULLEN, WHO WAS THE TRANSPORTATION DIRECTOR AT THE TIME, HE HAS SINCE RETIRED, AND JEN DENTLINGER, WHO WAS HIS NUMBER TWO, AND SHE WAS IN THE PIECES AS WELL, HAS TAKEN OVER. I TALKED WITH JEN ABOUT A WEEK AGO WHEN WE WERE THERE. THEY HAD 24 BUS ROUTES IN SCHOOL YEAR 20, 24, 25. THEY DROPPED DOWN TO 22 NEXT YEAR. FOR SCHOOL YEAR 20, 2526, THEY’RE DROPPING FROM 22 TO 17. THIS IS A BIG IMPLICATION FOR THE SCHOOL. IT GETS TO A CERTAIN POINT IN TIME. THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE TO ELIMINATE WHAT’S CALLED IN-TOWN BUS ROUTES. THAT MEANS ANY KID THAT LIVES WITHIN TWO MILES OF THE SCHOOL WON’T HAVE A BUS ROUTE ANYMORE. THAT’S GOING TO HAVE A MASSIVE IMPACT FOR A LOT OF PARENTS, A LOT OF TEACHERS, AND A LOT OF KIDS. ALONG THOSE SAME LINES, CULLEN AT THE TIME THOUGHT MAYBE MORE INCENTIVES WOULD HELP. JEN DENTLINGER IS ALSO MOVING THAT FORWARD WITH BIG INCENTIVES, INCLUDING CARRYING ON THAT $1,000 SIGNING BONUS THAT YOU GET HALF OF THE BEGINNING END OF THE YEAR AND HALF AT THE END OF THE YEAR. UNFORTUNATELY, IT HAS MADE ZERO IMPACT. AND FOR COMPARISON, JUST ONE COUNTY OVER. WHEN I TALKED WITH DENTLINGER, SHE SAID THAT THEY’RE PAYING BUS DRIVERS ALMOST TWICE WHAT CAROLL IS PAYING THEM, AND THEY’RE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. OH, I’M SO SORRY TO HEAR THAT. THERE IS NOT A LOT OF GOOD NEWS TO REPORT IN YOUR UPDATE. YOU KNOW, ALL THE TIME THAT YOU’VE REPORTED, FOR MATTER OF FACT, YOU’VE ALWAYS SEEMED TO BE THE PERSON WHO PICKS THE STORY THAT EVERYBODY’S GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT THE LOCAL STORY WITH THIS BIG NATIONAL IMPACT. I’M CURIOUS KIND OF HOW YOU THINK ABOUT FINDING THOSE STORIES AND WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO COVER THOSE STORIES. I THINK WORKING WITH MATTER OF FACT, THAT WAS ONE OF THE REALLY BIG BENEFITS THAT I PERSONALLY GOT TO HAVE. I LIKE TO THINK OF MY STORIES AS DINNER TABLE CONVERSATIONS, LIKE WHEN YOU’RE SITTING DOWN WITH YOUR FRIENDS OR YOUR FAMILY, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING TO THEM ABOUT? IS IT THE COST OF CHILDCARE? IS IT THE FACT THAT THE BUS DRIVERS AREN’T SHOWING UP? IS IT DATING FATIGUE? I REALLY LOVED THE IDEA OF TAKING THOSE STORIES THAT YOU’RE EXPERIENCING AT ALMOST A CELLULAR LEVEL, SOMETHING THAT’S IN YOUR COMMUNITY AND TALKING ABOUT IT. AND I THINK THAT WAS REALLY WHAT MADE IT SO IMPACTFUL AND UNIQUE. A MATTER OF FACT. WELL, YOU HAVE DONE AN AMAZING JOB. WE ABSOLUTELY LOVE YOUR REPORTING, AND IT’S BEEN AN HONOR TO WORK WITH YOU ON. MATTER OF FACT, LAURA C