In this roundtable, board members from four school districts share insight on the struggle to maintain school bus services in the face of funding shortfalls.

Kicking off his second year as NASDPTS president, Mike Simmons focuses on promoting pupil transportation with other associations and the feds. He also aims to get more states involved in a national stop-arm running survey.

In this new feature, we turn the spotlight on the younger side of school transportation. Find out how these movers and shakers got involved in the industry, how they contribute to its success and what they see in its future.

At this year’s conference in Cincinnati, Alexandra Robinson will become president of the National Association for Pupil Transportation. Her goals include analyzing the link between student achievement and access to school bus service, and maintaining and growing the industry’s pool of strong leaders.

This year’s NASDPTS and NAPT conferences will be held in Cincinnati, covering such topics as student behavior challenges, stop-arm violations and maintaining a transportation program under serious budget restraints. The NAPT trade show will feature more than 100 exhibits from industry suppliers.

Officials say it is important to conduct both federal and state checks, as well as monitor applicants’ driving records. Pupil transporters discuss their operations’ hiring policies and procedures, which include contacting previous employers, and also share suggestions on ways the industry could protect itself against undesirable candidates who move  from state to state.