Kneeland bus driver Perrin Turney named California transportation employee of year

Perrin Turney’s route through the hills above Kneeland has now become a statewide example of how rural schools stay open. The Kneeland School bus driver, who has been on the job since he was 19 and still works as both bus driver and instructional aide, was named California’s Classified School Employee of the Year for transportation services.

The California Department of Education announced the award on April 18, selecting Turney from 141 nominations statewide. The annual program, presented with the California School Employees Association, recognized nine employees total, one in each category. State officials said finalists are approved by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction or a designee, and the selection committee looks at work performance, school and community involvement, leadership, local support and other exceptional factors.

For Kneeland, the recognition reaches far beyond a plaque. The school serves grades Tk-8 in a district that stretches across nearly 145 square miles of isolated rural terrain, where a late bus, a washed-out road or a storm can mean a child simply does not get to school. Official district data list enrollment at 28 students, while recent district-profile figures put the number at 24 for the 2024-25 school year. In a place that small, every student matters to attendance, staffing and funding.

Turney is also a Kneeland School District alum, which gives his role a deeper weight in a community where trust is built over years, not press releases. The district says the school began in 1880, making it one of Humboldt County’s longest-running rural school communities. His job is not just to turn the wheel. He works with families and administrators to identify safe bus stops, watches road conditions closely and knows the route well enough to handle black ice, falling trees, thick fog, steep grades and storms that can leave feet of snow.

That kind of consistency is part of why the award matters. The state said Turney’s presence removes barriers to participation and helps families engage more fully in their children’s education. In a district as small and remote as Kneeland, transportation is not an add-on service. It is the difference between a school that functions and a school that struggles to hold its community together.

Humboldt County Superintendent of Schools Michael Davies-Hughes said Turney represents the dedication of the classified employees who keep small rural districts functioning across the county. At Kneeland, where one employee can carry several titles and one reliable driver can shape a child’s day, Turney’s recognition points to a larger truth: rural education depends on people who know the roads, know the families and show up in every season.