www.stnonline.com
Keynotes to Remember After an introduction from Blue Bird Director of Marketing
Ron Smith and a short video, Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré took the stage and then immediately hopped off it, preferring to speak to the attendees at eye level. “It’s great to be here with those of you who have a very spe-
cial mission in our country — to provide safe transportation for the future leaders of tomorrow…who will keep America free for years to come,” began Honoré. After asking for a show of hands on who was prepared for a
disaster, and getting an honest but minimal response, the retired U.S. Army general asked if people had weather radios, a three- day supply of food and water and an evacuation plan. Once again, few hands were raised. “We need to do better than that, and it is my job to convince
you to do better than that,” continued Honoré. “The assets you have in your community are key to the survival of your commu- nity — you’re local, you’re responsible, your [buses] are safe and you know the local roads.” School bus contractors were next on Honoré’s radar, as he
asked how many were pre-registered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). By visiting the Central Contrac- tor Registration Web site (
www.bpn.gov/ccr), contractors can register their companies and assist local communities during a disaster with the use of their school buses. Registering also allows contractors to be reimbursed for their services. “Leaders need to see first, understand first and act first,”
stressed Honoré. “What made America great is that we figure problems out.” The next morning, Leeds, NSTA’s industry specialist, took the
stage and gave everyone a lesson on how school buses are being affected by all the changes in and around the White House. A focus on domestic affairs and the power shift in Congress may bring about some inter-
esting and wide-spread changes to the industry on many levels. “A new president always brings a new agenda with him,”
said Leeds, who also focused on the surface transportation reauthorization. Currently, the White House, U.S. Secretary of Transportation
Ray LaHood and Congress are stressing that the bill will not be completed by the end of this month, when the last bill expires. “We’re so hung up on health care, that we can’t do anything
else,” she added, explaining that federal fuel taxes, which help pay for the costs associated with the bill, have not been raised since 1993 and are not keeping up with the costs of construction.
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