Pete Baxter, the general chair for the 2010 congress and Indiana's state director of pupil transportation, said all proposed changes are scheduled to be posted on the NCST Web site by Nov. 30. At that time through Feb. 1, 2010, state delegation representatives and interested parties can submit comments. The NCST is scheduled for May 16-19 at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg.

During the joint NASDPTS and NAPT conferences in Louisville last week, Baxter said he hopes to shorten next year's conference from its usual five days to at least three. The NCST has basically run every five years since its inception in 1939, but Baxter added that new procedures plus the availability of the Internet have provided the industry the opportunity to submit and review proposed changes to previous NCST documents in a more timely manner.

Also last week, the NCST Steering Committee met in Louisville and appointed Terry Voy of the Iowa School Boards Association and a former NASDPTS president as the onsite NCST chair. Donnie Fowler, owner of contractor Fowler Bus in Missouri and the current NCST president, was named chair of the Technical Assistance Committee. Dr. Malloy Gould, the retired director of academic professional development at the University of Central Missouri's Safety Center, was named congress parliamentarian. Bill Loshbough and Nancy Shultz, representatives of the National Safety Council, will serve as congress timers.