Georgia names new state pupil transportation director
ATLANTA — Bill Simpson has been named pupil transportation director for the Georgia Department of Education, replacing Bill Bonnett. Simpson began his career in the industry at DeKalb County (Ga.) Schools in 1971. In addition to overseeing the DeKalb operation, he owned the bus company LPS Bus Services, which he sold to Laidlaw in 1998. After retiring from DeKalb, Simpson served as a consultant for the state department for eight years.

School board votes to keep bus routes intact
JUNEAU, Alaska — Board members of the Juneau Borough Schools voted unanimously to preserve five school bus routes that faced elimination. According to the Juneau Empire, the district superintendent had decided to cancel the routes, which serve elementary students who live within 1.5 miles of their schools. Parents appealed the decision, saying it would be unsafe for their children to walk to school during winter because of darkness and snow.

Ontario increases funding for pupil transportation
TORONTO — The provincial government boosted pupil transportation funding for the 2005-06 school year by $33 million. The additional school bus support was part of an overall increase of $820 million for public education in Ontario. According to the Ontario School Bus Association, the pupil transportation increase includes funding to cover additional costs, such as fuel, as well as funding for First Aid and CPR training.

Parents sue after boy left unattended on school van
GROTON, Mass. — The parents of a brain-damaged boy who was stranded on a school van have filed a civil lawsuit. According to the Boston Globe, the boy, then 11, was left on the vehicle for several hours on a hot summer day. The suit accuses Groton Dunstable Regional School District, a transportation supervisor and the van’s driver of negligence. While the boy, who can’t walk or talk, has been disabled since birth, his parents said the incident made his condition worse.

Chowchilla kidnapper denied parole again
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — One of the three men who abducted a busload of children and their driver in the infamous Chowchilla kidnapping was denied parole for the 20th time. According to CBS 5, a six-member board unanimously decided to keep Richard Schoenfeld, now 50, in prison for at least another year. Schoenfeld, his brother James and their friend Frederick Woods were convicted of 27 counts of kidnapping in the 1978 incident.

Alabama boosts pupil transportation budget
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A recent state legislative session resulted in a budget increase of more than $33 million for local pupil programs for fiscal year 2006. According to the NASDPTS Bulletin, $29 million of the increase was tabbed for operations, and $4 million was set aside for fleet renewal. The legislature also considered but didn’t pass a law that would have increased penalties for illegal school bus passbys while allowing vehicles to pass in the opposite direction on four-lane highways divided by a median.