COVER STORY: Activity trips are just one aspect of student transportation that is again hurting amid school district budget cuts and skyrocketing fuel costs. This month, STN also features conversations on the business of contract busing and the NSTA’s and the industry’s latest lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C. Reintroduce yourself to Magda Dimmendaal, who this summer becomes NSTA’s first female president, and hear from smaller contractor companies on how they are riding out the economic storm.
TOP STORY
NSTA Members Visit Capitol Hill, Educate Federal Legislators on School Bus Industry
SPECIAL REPORT
Small Yet Viable
Even as national school bus contractors continue to expand, a market remains for smaller, local companies
HEADLINES
School District Christens New Bus Facility with Mural Celebrating Safety
Sexual Predator Training Offers National Education to Drivers, Transportation Staff
Districts Continue to be Affected by Gulf Oil Spill
School Buses Benefit Community, Students in Effort to Give Back
FEATURES
A Magnificent Selection
Soon to be the first female president of NSTA, Magda Dimmendaal is armed and ready to be a leading advocate for private school busing … and the industry as a whole
The Business of Contracted Busing: More Money, More Problems?
Labor issues obscure potential taxpayer benefits of contracted school bus service
Keeping the Road Open for Activity Trips
Districts are fighting to Keep Extracurricular trips alive, with some finding creative ways to keep these trips in the transportation budget
Q&A
Incoming CEO of National Express Corporation David Duke
ANALYSIS
State-to-State Variance in Crossing Procedures (First in a seven-part series)
By Ned Einstein
COLUMNS
First Take by Ryan Gray:
The More Things Change…
Editorial Desk by Stephane Babcock:
Never Give Up
