EDITORIAL DESK I never sat in the bleachers cheering the home team in high school. Although I enjoyed my time


at my western New York high school, I was the never in danger of being nominated for “best school spirit.” Trough the years, things have changed, and I now cheer for every step my children take in school and life in general, the most recent being my oldest son’s and youngest daughter’s gradua- tions from elementary school and preschool, respectively. My hope is that by being as supportive and encouraging as possible, it will drive them to achieve


Another Step Forward


By Stephane Babcock


new successes. Tere will be bumps along the way, but I have watched as all four of my children have continued to evolve into individuals whom I am constantly proud of. In a sense, it is this type of give and take that can hopefully lead to greater successes in our industry as well. I’m sure there were a number of you who were disappointed to hear that, after all the time and


efforts the American School Bus Council, the U.S. Department of Transportation failed to even mention the yellow bus in its five-year strategic plan. But after speaking to a number of you, it was encouraging to hear that this was just another hurdle to overcome and not a roadblock. Ten, news came of a letter penned by Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, which not only recognized the benefits of the school bus but gave the industry something it needed — hope. Tat hope came in the form of a promise from LaHood to set aside money from NHTSA’s FY 2011 budget to produce materials that will promote the benefits of the school bus. All three arms of the American School Bus Council were excited about the news and the pros-


pect of working with the feds on the campaign. NSTA President Donnie Fowler was grateful that “the nation’s largest and safest transportation system” was finally getting some notice, adding that he hoped the campaign would help curtail national reductions in school bus service. “Tis is a testament to the principles of ASBC — the school bus community can accomplish amazing things when we all work together,” he said.


❝ Tis is the industry’s “foot in the door” when it


comes to the possibility of federal funding, and in a time when many districts are looking to reduce or cut transportation services altogether, we must make sure we not only get the other foot in, we have to stay ‘in the building. ❞


But we can not rest on our laurels. Yes, it is a clichéd expression, but it is the best way to put


it. One victory does not win the war, and we must keep fighting to help people at every level un- derstand the importance of the yellow bus, how it is an irreplaceable link in the chain that keeps students on track to graduate and evolve beyond even their own expectations. More funding — the best case scenario of this new federal focus on school buses — would not only expand service, it could allow schools to follow the models created by people like Ray Trejo of Deming, N.M., Public Schools and Rosemary Peterson of Manatee, Fla., County Schools (see article on page 26). Trejo, a transportation director with a background in education, has turned some of his buses into rolling one-room schoolhouses. And when a student is given the right tools, as in both the case with Trejo and Peterson’s school bus book club, they strive to meet goals they may have never even set. To quote Bob Marley, “Time alone — oh, time will tell.” But don’t just wait to see how it will


all sort out in the end. This is the industry’s “foot in the door” when it comes to the possibility of federal funding. In a time when many districts are looking to reduce or cut transportation services altogether, we must make sure we not only get the other foot in, we have to remain in the building. ■


58 School Transportation News Magazine August 2010


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