INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS


than 218,000 children from Head Start and eliminated 55,000 jobs at some 2,800 local agencies nationwide, according to the Na- tional Head Start Association. At the same time, an alternative Senate bill, which would have preserved funding for Head Start, was also rejected. Among some 400 amendments was a provision to cut federal Head Start funding by 25 percent over fiscal year 2009 and 2010 levels. Additionally, NHSA said H.R. 1, if it would have passed, would have led to the elimination of 16,000 Head Start class- rooms from its current number of 56,000. Head Start and Early Head Start saw sig-


nificant funding increases in 2009 and 2010, when the budget increased to as much as $7.2 billion. Tat figure included regular appropriations and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. H.R. 1 aims to re- duce the budget back down to $6.1 billion. According to NHSA,


the Head Start


programs serve approximately 1.1 million children nationwide. Many of these chil- dren receive free school busing.


On the Lookout at Bus Stops Last fall at its annual meeting in Portland,


Ore., NASDPTS members voted to encour- age each state to conduct annual, one-day counts of stop arm violators from March 1 through May 15 and to publish the results each summer as a way to increase motorist awareness around schools. Te result is the 2011 National Stop Arm


Violation Count, which began last month in states across the country. News reports also originated out of Canada that some school districts were also participating. NASDPTS said having more reliable data on the true count of how many motorists illegally pass school buses engaged in load- ing and unloading students. One of the participating states is Kan-


sas. Te state department of education’s School Bus Safety Unit was mailing copies of the survey. More information is available at www.nasdpts.org/stoparm.html.


All Invited to Propane Party Citing an uptick in LPG infrastructure na-


tionwide, General Motors officially announced its plans to provide options for customers of all Type A school buses built on the Chevy Express and GMC 4500 series cut-away chassis and powered by the Vortec 6.0L engine.


According to a GM spokesman, the


automaker will use a “one-stop-shop ap- proach” to deliver a complete LPG system that can be upfitted to specific require- ments. Tat additional work will be performed by Knapheid Manufacturing Company located near GM’s Wentzville, Mo., plant. Te option will only be im- mediately available with the Express and 4500 Series 49-gallon fuel capacity, but GM left the door open to the LPG system for its 75-gallon capacity vehicles. Clean Fuel USA continues to be a tier-two sup- plier for GM’s 49- and 75-gallon LPG fuel systems along with Bi-Phase Technologies. Te cutaway vans will be covered by GM’s three-year, 36,000-mile new vehicle lim- ited warranty and five-year, 100,000-mile limited power-train warranty and vehicle emissions warranty. GM continues to also provide engine


codes to Clean Fuel USA to equip LPG systems in the propane-powered NexBus Type A school bus models built by Collins Bus Corporation. Tose buses began rolling off the manufacturing line last summer. Of other OEMs contacted for this story, Blue Bird and Tomas Built Buses confirmed they would offer the new option.


Online Learning Earlier this year, NAPT rolled out the


availability of its Professional Development Series to members via the Internet with a new Human Resources course on manag- ing employee relations. Last month, the association released details on four new courses that are eligible for Continuing Education Credits. Te new courses are: PDS202 – “Presenta-


tion Skills;” PDS204 – “Team Communication Strategies;” PDS205 – “Managing the Me- dia;” and PDS606 – “Risk Management and Emergency Planning.” NAPT is partnering with School Training


Solutions to provide the online learning to members for $40 each course and to non- members for $100 each. All courses meet the


International Association for Con-


tinuing Education and Training (IACET) standards. NAPT added that at least one new course


is expected to be added online each month for the rest of the year. More information is at www.naptonline.org.


16 School Transportation News Magazine April 2011 A-Z Bus Sales, Inc., became the


first licensed, independent bus deal- er to sell ROUSH CleanTech liquefied propane autogas systems for light- and medium-duty Ford vans and cutaways, including the E-350 and E-450 models. Te company said its technicians were obtaining certifica- tions and converting stock bus units for sale by the second quarter of this year. A-Z Bus belongs to the Blue Bird and Collins dealer networks.


AngelTrax expanded its Hybrid


Component Series mobile DVR line to include the Hybrid Quest and Hybrid Vault. These hot-swappa- ble, component based mobile DVRs feature both wireless compatibility, capable of live video streaming, and instant system health checks, enabling


fleet directors to gain


enhanced insight into their fleet operations. The new Hybrid Quest and Vault include the same du- rable metal enclosure component design, with an additional dock for Wi-Fi/WiMAX connectivity and a high-performance main board with SD card back-up storage capability. The Hybrid Vault also features two hard drive docks, extending stor- age capacity.


Blue Bird Corporation an-


nounced its new Blue Bird Capital Services as the school bus manufac- turer’s “premier financial services provider.” Blue Bird is partnering with De Lage Landen to provide customers with competitive com- mercial leases, loan agreements and municipal financing. The company also added that financial services will focus on customer ser- vice and quick turn-around times on credit applications.


For the last several years,


Navistar Parts and Service has provided customers with a pro- gram that promises more bang for the buck, dollars that have been increasingly scarce over the same time frame. Te division announced


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