HEADLINES
School Bus Contractors Convene in Milwaukee for Annual NSTA Convention
portation conferences as it marked the National
July was a big month for student trans- School Transportation Asso-
ciation’s annual convention and meeting, which this year convened in Milwaukee. “Milwaukee proved to be a pleasant sur-
prise to the more than 200 attendees of NSTA’s Annual Meeting and Convention,” said Magda Dimmendaal, CEO of Dous- man Transport Company in nearby Union Grove, Wis. “From the State Fair Park location of the International Safety Com- petition, the Pfister Hotel, the Presidents dinner at the Harley Museum, to the semi- nars and committee meetings, attendees were full of enthusiasm of a great event.” Members also became re-acquainted
with new NSTA Executive Director Ronna Weber, who previously served as an in- dustry lobbyist in Washington, D.C. She told School Transportation News last month that the issues of most importance to members are the provisions of the new multi-year
transportation reauthoriza- 2012 NSTA Annual Awards
Te following individuals and/or companies were honored at the 48th Annual Awards Banquet, sponsored by Tomas Built Buses.
GOLDEN MERIT Robb Bauman — Durham School Services (Warrenville, Ill.)
Dona Beauchea — First Student, Inc. (Cincinnati) Keith Galloway — Durham School Services (Warrenville, Ill.) James Marshall — Marshall Bus Co., LLC (Rising Sun, Md.) Colleen McKay — Go Riteway Transportation (Richfield, Wis.) Phil O’Donnell — First Student, Inc. (Cincinnati) Liz Sanchez — First Student, Inc. (Cincinnati) Joan Siegler — Dousman Transport Co., Inc. (Dousman, Wis.)
THOMAS BUILT BUSES CONTINUING EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL GROWTH GRANT Suzette Harrison — Kobussen Buses, Ltd. (Sun Prairie, Wis.)
GO YELLOW, GO GREEN AWARD First Student, Inc. (Cincinnati)
24 School Transportation News Magazine September 2012
GREEN SCHOOL BUS FLEET CERTIFICATION • Gold : Hendrickson Bus Corp (Bayville, N.Y.); Huntington Coach Corp. (Huntington Station, N.Y.); Huntington Coach, LLC (East Northport, N.Y. & Manhasset, N.Y.); North Boone CUSD 200 (Poplar Grove, Ill.)
• Silver: Dell Transportation Corp. (Hempstead, N.Y.) • Bronze: Dell Transportation Corp. (Port Washington, N.Y.)
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE Percy Abbott — First Student, Inc. (Oak Forest, Ill.)
MERITORIOUS SERVICE Becky Weber — Prime Policy Group (Washington, D.C.)
OUTSTANDING DRIVER OF THE YEAR Christie McDevitt — Jubb’s Bus Service, Inc. (Glen Burnie, Md.)
CONTRACTOR OF THE YEAR Kobussen Buses, Ltd. (Kaukauna, Wis.)
tion bill, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21), which she said includes school bus safety, competition with public transit, fuel tax exemptions, graduated licensing and distracted driving. Tere also remains much interest in EPA’s Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) Program, which has provided over $580 million over the past 10 years, she added. Jack Van Steenburg, the agency’s as-
sistant administrator and chief safety officer provided FMCSA updates on hours of service, and school bus manufacturers provided their annual technology update. Kevin J. Kinney with the law firm Kukows-
ki & Costello, presented “Labor Relations in a Brave New World,” which discussed up- dates on arrest and conviction records and their effects on employment decisions. Te Equal Employment Opportunity Commis- sion updated its enforcement guidelines under Title VII, namely that not hiring based on an applicant’s criminal record may violate Title VII. EEOC has reaffirmed
that arrests do not prove criminal conduct. Meanwhile, 98 bus drivers competed in
the School Bus Driver International Safety Competition, a roadeo that tests drivers from across North America on their abili- ties in navigating 10 obstacle courses and completing a written exam. Mark Koelbl of First Student’s Calgary,
Alberta, location took home the top prize in the conventional school bus category with 643 total points. Antonio Perez of San Dieguito Unified High School District in California won the transit division with 574 points, and Russell Altier of Mont- gomery County Public Schools in Virginia finished first in the small bus division with 585 points. In the conventional category, Michael
Castaneda of Northeast ISD in Texas outdistanced Robert Parrish of First Stu- dent Alaska and third-place finisher Larry Hannon of Centennial School District in Pennsylvania, last year’s winner and a sev- en-time champion. ■
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