Woodland Public Schools recognizes shop supervisor’s long time service

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After Bob Lute announced his retirement at the end of the school year, Woodland Public Schools wanted to recognize his 42 years of service as the shop supervisor and head mechanic for the KWRL Transportation Cooperative.

When unexpected weather events hit the area, Lute would regularly wake up early and work late to help the director and assistant director of KWRL, according to a news release.

His colleagues and supervisors applauded Lute for his talents and work ethic.

“Shop supervisors field calls from buses late at night traveling home from sporting events which need assistance out on the highway,” said Shannon Barnett, KWRL Cooperative director. “Many nights, Bob has been rousted out of bed to help school buses get their students home when they experience mechanical difficulty on the road.”



School districts across Washington operate on mutual-aid agreements so districts take care of vehicles from other districts if they are far from home and experiencing mechanical issues, even if those issues occur after hours or on weekends, stated the release.

Lute started with Woodland Public Schools long before the cooperative agreement went into effect, Barnett said. He helped scrape the old district names off the buses and replaced them with KWRL logos.

“Bob has both the technical and historic knowledge to make him exceptional in his role and he will be dearly missed,” Barnett said.

“Congratulations on your retirement, Bob, and thank you for all your years of dedication to helping provide the best possible education for not only Woodland’s students but also our cooperative partners Kalama, La Center and Ridgefield,” stated the release.