MONTPELIER, Vt. — As the 17th National Congress on School Transportation (NCST) nears, the Steering Committee met last week to firm up plans, including those concerning state delegates.

The Congress will be held in Des Moines, Iowa, from May 17 to 20. Delegates from the states and territories will discuss, debate, and vote on whether changes introduced by writing committees will be included in the 2020 edition of the National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures manual (the NSTSP). The NSTSP is used by states, industry, and others as a reference guide when drafting legislation, rules, policies and procedures.

The NCST Steering Committee met in Columbus, Ohio, last week during the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) conference, according to a news release from the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS). The committee includes representatives from four sponsoring organizations: NASDPTS (including the School Bus Manufacturers Technical Council), the NAPT, the National School Transportation Association, and the National Safety Council. Writing committees have been researching requests for changes to the 2015 NSTSP.

Earlier this year, state agency heads were asked to designate the chair of their state’s delegation to the Congress. Within the next month, state delegation chairs will receive instructions on appointing their delegates and registering them online. Shortly thereafter, the recommended changes to the NSTSP will be distributed to each state chair for distribution to their delegations. Comments received from states will be considered by the respective Writing Committees, and the final recommended changes will be drafted.

In May, the state delegations will come together at the Congress to deliberate and vote on the proposed changes following parliamentary procedure. Each state represented may have up to seven delegates on the floor, representing a variety of student transportation interests, with each state’s delegation having one vote.

Since 1939, the NCST (formerly the National Conferences on School Transportation) has been held periodically with the primary objective of ensuring safe, efficient transportation for schoolchildren. Since 1980, the 300-plus delegates from around the country who comprise the Congress have convened every five years.

For more information, go here or contact Patrick McManamon, chair of the 17th NCST Steering Committee, at Patrick.McManamon@vermont.gov or (802) 828-3757.