SHOW the REPORTER PUBLISHED BY YOUR SOURCE FOR NAPT AND NASDPTS CONFERENCE NEWS! OCT. 19–25, 2012 WHAT’S INSIDE


COVER STORY 2012 NAPT Award Winners


8-9 California Bus Driver


Gives New Meaning to Term ‘Hero’


10-11 Repeat Wins at America’s Best Competition; Annual NAPT Awards Recognize Industry’s Very Best


14-15


NAPT Summit Trade Show Products Snapshot; School Transportation and the Art of Leadership


16-17 NTSB Vice Chairman


Striking a Chord


INDUSTRY SINGING THE BUDGETARY BLUES IS URGED TO EMBRACE A NEW WAY OF THINKING IN MEMPHIS WRITTEN BY RYAN GRAY & SYLVIA ARROYO


M


EMPHIS — In the land of Elvis and B.B.


King, what better place for the student transportation industry to continue to re-invent itself. Te third-largest city


in the Southeast U.S., Memphis has long been celebrated as the birthplace of blues, Rock ’N’ Roll, Gospel and “sharecropper” country music. All in all, what better backdrop for


this week’s national student transportation conferences for a vibrant yet challenged industry to once again come together and exchange ideas and forge a new path? A general theme of this


year’s NAPT Summit, and of NAPT’s Professional Development Series, in general, is performance management. Michael Eu- gene, chief operating officer for the Orange County Public Schools in Orlando, Fla., launched the Summit


on Sunday with a keynote that pushed attendees to operate their transportation departments, which he said are the most complex function of any school sys- tem, in a way that increases quality of service while also pushing more budget dol- lars to the classroom. He used the analogy of how 5 1/4-inch floppy discs, once on the cutting edge of com- puter storage technology, have become obsolete over the years. »


Memphis, the River City, offers blues, barbecue ribs and a great venue to host this year’s NASDPTS and NAPT conferences.


Addresses School Bus Safety; Simmons Runs for NAPT Region 3 Board Slot


18-19 COO Outlines Managing Results for Student Transportation; State Association Utilizes Conference Location to Unite Members, Industry


20 NASDPTS/NAPT Conference Photo Gallery


22


Changes Coming to Memphis City Schools


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PHOTO COURTESY OF MEMPHIS CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU


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