R-2 Board of Education members presented its transportation department with special recognition Monday honoring the staff for receiving an Exemplary School Bus Maintenance Award from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

  This award was one of only three given out this year among the state’s 525 school districts. The award notes DESE “hereby recognizes and commends the Gasconade County R-2 School District for its exemplary school bus maintenance program as evidenced by compliance with at least 90 percent (scores) for 10 years passage of Missouri school bus regulations and safety standards during the spring 2008 school bus inspection, conducted by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.”  “It takes the entire transportation staff working together to make this happen,” said R-2 Superintendent Mark Leach. “I would especially like to commend Jerry Stephenson, transportation director, and Bill Shipley, our district mechanic, for maintaining the buses.”

.