The National Association for Pupil Transportation announced grants and scholarships available to student transporters interested in either attending the NAPT Annual Summit this year, seeking new technology equipment or money to cover costs for educational field trips for students at their district.
The NAPT Conference and Trade Show, scheduled for Oct. 19-24, will take place at the Grand Rapids Amway Grand Plaza in Grand Rapids, Mich. It will be held in conjunction with the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services’ Annual Conference.
First, there’s the Peter and Linda Lawrence Training Scholarship that provides financial assistance to four school bus driver trainers to attend the NAPT Summit. Each scholarship will cover the registrations fees of each attendee. Winners, however, would be responsible for all other associated costs.
Peter is transportation director of Fairport (N.Y.) Public Schools, and he and his wife created the endowment to help give back to an industry that does noble work for students across the country. A formal announcement declaring the winners of this scholarship will be made Sept. 20.
Then GPS and transportation software provider Zonar Systems offers 10 scholarships that cover the registration fee for the Summit. These scholarships are open to NAPT and non-NAPT members. For non-members, Zonar will pay the non-member registration fee, which includes a one-year NAPT membership. Scholarship recipients would be responsible for all other conference-related expenses. A formal announcement of the winners will be made Sept. 27.
Zonar Systems also offers grants for $50,000 in the latest school bus security/safety/efficiency equipment awarded to school districts that submit the best proposals for utilizing Zonar’s Electronic Fleet Management Solutions, including its Electronic Vehicle Inspection Reporting (EVIR) system. Integrated with Zonar’s GPS and cellular technologies, the EVIR system gives pupil transportation service providers the ability to “inspect, track and know” almost instantly, and eliminates paperwork burdens.
The winning school districts will be announced in October at the NAPT Summit. NAPT will accept and evaluate applications from NAPT members for the $50,000 grants and Zonar will determine the grant recipients after reviewing the applications. Applicants must be NAPT members in the U.S. and Canada who are not currently using such equipment. Non-members of NAPT interested in applying for the grant can do so after paying a $100 association fee.
Details on the requirements and application process, as well as downloadable applications for all of the above scholarships and grants, are available at www.napt.org. All of the above applications are due Sept. 13.
Meanwhile, NAPT is offering the 2013 Bluth-Eisman Field Trip Grant for a fourth year (part of a 10-year commitment). It includes two scholarships at $250 each to enable NAPT members to take students on academic-focused field trips. The grants cover the costs of transportation, entry fees, supplies and classroom resource materials for teachers.
The grant is offered by Dr. Linda F. Bluth and her partner, Betsy Eisman. Bluth is the immediate past president of the board of directors for the NAPT, and retired from full-time employment with the Maryland State Department of Education, where she was director of the Office of Quality Assurance and Monitoring for the Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services. Currently, she is currently working part-time with the Division as the special initiatives education program specialist, which includes addressing special needs transportation issues. Eisman, RN, BSN, has been a nurse for more than 38 years.
A downloadable application for this grant will be available on the NAPT website on or before Aug. 30. NAPT members can apply online from Aug. 30 through Oct. 1. A formal announcement declaring the winner will be made during the Summit.
