DES MOINES — Iowa held its second annual "Best of the Best" school bus technician competition at Thomas Bus Sales here on April 17. 

William Ostrander of the Johnston Community School District (CSD) was the winner of this year's competition and will go on to compete at the national level in Jasper, Ind., in September during the "America's Best" competition.

The competition was a cooperative effort of the Iowa Department of Education; the Iowa Pupil Transportation Association; the Iowa Association of School Boards; and Thomas Bus Sales. A number of other sponsors helped to round out the competition by providing tools, gloves and additional funding.

The Iowa "Best of the Best" competition consisted of a 50-question knowledge test, along with four school bus stations where each technician had to diagnose the source of the mechanical problem on each particular bus.

Thirteen school bus technicians from 11 school districts in Iowa were enrolled in the competition:

• Chris Errthum of the Western Dubuque CSD

• Jim Hummel of the Panorama CSD

• Ron Johnson of the Burlington CSD

• Kevin Kludy of the North Scott CSD

• Jason Logan of the Indianola CSD

• Jared Miller of the SE Polk CSD

• Chad Novotny of the Marshalltown CSD

• William Ostrander of the Johnston CSD

• Mark Possehl of the Grundy Center CSD

• George Rish of the Johnston CSD

• Kevin Talley of the SE Polk CSD

• John Thorson of the Norwalk CSD

• Mark VanderMeiden of the Oskaloosa CSD