The 48th Annual New York State School Bus Safety Competition, organized by the New York School Bus Contractors Association (NYSBCA), will be held on the grounds of Rockland Lake State Park (299 Rockland Lake Road ~ Valley Cottage, NY 10989), on Saturday May 18th.  

Online you will find the following information:

Please consider sending your drivers. Registration is only $75 for member companies and $90 for non-member companies and school districts. Registration includes the competition itself, a barbeque lunch and a t-shirt.

We are ALWAYS in need of judges. Please help with this fun event by signing up to help. Even if you are unfamiliar with judging, we will put you in a group of people that can help you during the event. Score keepers and runners are always needed too! As our way of saying thanks, we promise you a day of fun, a continental breakfast with coffee, a barbeque lunch, a t-shirt and bragging rights.

Even if you cannot make it to the competition, be there in spirit! Support our drivers and judges by sponsoring an ad in the Booster Booklet. Possibly even consider sponsoring the t-shirts, the lunch or the awards.

Visit the NYSBCA website to find out more ! 

Training is available for all mandated reporters in New York State at no cost to participant.

The New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) operates the New York Statewide Central Register for Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR), where mandated reporters are required to report suspected child abuse and maltreatment. This training provides every New York State Mandated Reporter with the knowledge and skills to be able to:

NOTE: Mandated Reporters who require licensure or certification through the New York State Department of Education (NYSED) are required to take mandated reporter training from a trainer who has been approved by the New York State Education Department. For more information, please go to: www.op.nysed.gov or contact the New York State Education Department at OPPLEUCA@nysed.gov.

For a free online training that is offered by OCFS, CLICK HERE.

More than eight in 10 school transportation directors in New York consider driver shortage either their "number one" problem/concern (60 percent) or a "major" problem/concern (23 percent), according to a report by the New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA).

A shortage of bus drivers can have significant consequences for school districts and the children they educate, including: lengthy bus trips as districts consolidate routes; delayed arrivals and departures; cancelled field trips and extracurricular activities; increased costs as a shortage of drivers drives up wages; and, in extreme cases, children and families having to provide their own means of transportation to and from school. 

In some districts, a lack of bus drivers can become a safety issue. Districts with severe shortages often have to press fleet mechanics into bus driver service, meaning bus repair and maintenance may suffer.

"Transporting students to and from school is an often overlooked component of a school district’s responsibilities, but has a significant impact on student learning and safety," said NYSSBA Executive Director Timothy G. Kremer. "The importance of school bus drivers is most evident when there is a shortage of them."

The report found that three-quarters (74 percent) of New York’s school transportation directors had unfilled school bus driver positions at some point during the 2017-18 school year. More than one-quarter of school districts (27 percent) had as many as 11 to 20 percent of unfilled school bus driver positions at some point during the school year.

School bus driver shortages appear to have gotten worse. Asked to characterize the school bus driver shortage trend for their school district or transportation companies over the past three years, seven of 10 survey respondents said the problem was either "significantly worse" (38.5 percent) or "somewhat worse" (32 percent). Nearly one-quarter (23 percent) said the problem was "about the same." Only 6.5 percent of respondents said the problem had gotten "somewhat better" (5 percent) or "significantly better" (1.5 percent).

The biggest factor contributing to bus driver shortages, according to the report, are recent federal and state requirements that have made obtaining a commercial driver license (CDL) more costly and time-consuming. The report recommends that school leaders and transportation directors work closely with the state Department of Motor Vehicles to make obtaining a CDL less burdensome without sacrificing safety, including expanding the number of testing sites which must meet federal standards; training and preparing examiners for the new testing regimen to increase consistency among them and their approach to the test; and further adjusting the availability of testing times to include weekend appointments.

It also highlights a number of other actions that can be taken at the local level as well that can improve school bus driver recruitment and retention, such as providing free training, defraying other costs related to obtaining a CDL and/or starting employment, and exploring ways for school transportation and human resources departments to work together in the recruitment, training and retention of bus drivers.

To read the full report, CLICK HERE.

Chief Operating Officer, Jim Folkes, has accepted the new role of Vice President of Communications. In this position Jim will have responsibility for the development of the communication strategy for Krapf School Bus. He will contribute to Krapf’s organizational strategic planning process and work to promote, enhance, and protect the organization’s brand reputation, with a goal of advancing the organization’s position with relevant constituents, as well as to drive broader awareness for the organization.

Jim joined Krapf School Bus in 2010. With more than 3 decades in the school bus industry, Jim brought considerable leadership experience to the organization. From the start, he had a positive vision for Krapf School Bus and his many accomplishments during the past 9 years are proof of his commitment and belief in the company and its employees. He is well-respected not only by his peers, but by the Krapf staff and personnel at all levels, and he has been a great mentor to many. He is a 2016 NSTA Hall of Fame Award winner.

Mark Ramljak has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer. Mark joined Krapf in 2013, bringing more than 30 years of school bus industry knowledge to the table. In fact, Jim played a major role in bringing Mark to the Krapf team as the Vice President of Operations for its western unit. As such, Mark was instrumental in working within Krapf’s Septran division to improve its outdated processes and systems and to improve its financial performance. Despite implementing considerable improvements, when the opportunity to sell the company arose, the board of directors determined that it would be in Krapf’s best interest to do so. Mark was considered such a key addition to the team that he was asked to remain a Krapf employee and has been leading the integration of Krapf’s 2017 Birnie Bus acquisition.

Both gentlemen will have offices in Krapf’s corporate building at 1030 Andrew Drive, West Chester, PA 19380.

Education is one of the most important, if not the most important, aspect of any child’s life. What they learn at school during those 12 or 13 years, from foreign languages to mathematics to essential social skills, will likely be the cornerstone of their entire lives and anything they decide to do with them later on. For all these reasons and many more, we spend a lot of time talking about how important teachers are, and how grateful we are to them for passing on all of this precious knowledge and experience. And rightfully so, of course.

But have you ever taken a moment to think about the people who work tirelessly every single day to make sure your child can get to school safely to learn those important lessons, and then drop them back off at home? The people who endure the shrieks, laughter and general noise of tens of children confined to one small space for hours on end, day in and day out? No? Then you should. Presenting, School Bus Drivers Day!

Find out the history of School Bus Drivers Day and how to celebrate with suggestions from https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/school-bus-drivers-day/