AUGUST 2026 By Peter Mannella It’s an understatement to say that there is much going on in our nation’s capital. Issues affecting education, education funding, clean air, CDL rules and more have a direct or proximate impact on our work as transportation safety leaders. This update contains several items related to activity within the […]
Medical Marijuana Re-Scheduling Announced The Dept of Justice’ has announced its plans to reschedule Marijuana in certain circumstances and purposes. It appears to relate primarily to marijuana used in medical research and similar purposes. This has been pursued for several years by those seeking increased use of the substance for medical objectives. In 2024, […]
We are living in different times. The role of the federal government in educational programming and funding is changing, with new priorities and directions being advanced. These changes will have both short-term and long-term impacts on our schools and, by extension, on school transportation. Our work and our future as a profession and as an […]
Education Department Budget Details Revealed The following summary is excerpted in part from the analysis by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) with whom NAPT closely partners on federal advocacy efforts: On May 30th, the Trump Administration released additional details of the so-called ‘skinny budget’ for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26). This includes specific funding […]
By: Peter Mannella, NAPT Public Policy Liaison School bus drivers are on the front line in our mission to ensure safe rides to school for 25 million American children each day. Our front line. Without them, those children would need to find other ways to access their education. Our front line. For the most […]
LOTS HAPPENING IN OUR NATION’S CAPITAL! Federal Policy and Program Activity It goes without saying that our federal government is in the midst of a major shift in philosophy, policy and practice. The incoming administration is laser focused on advancing conservative concepts including some that have been espoused over many years and by many candidates […]
By Peter Mannella New Administration; Many Changes Afoot As the new administration takes shape and begins to implement its priorities, things are moving at a rapid and fluid pace. We will be monitoring developments among the key federal agencies that affect school bus transportation, as well as congressional action affecting our work as well. […]
The on-going school bus driver shortage is a serious problem indeed. It is widespread and it is persistent, and it affects the lives of the children we transport. And there is no easy answer in sight. It threatens our ability to carry out our prime mission: to safely transport our nation’s children to and from […]
Over the years, the National Transportation Safety Board has been on the ground examining the impact of crashes that involved school buses, in particular, those which resulted in one or more fatalities. That work is consistent with the charter and purpose the Congress enumerated for the Board upon its establishment in law in 1967. We’ve […]
One definition of ‘optimism’ I read refers to one’s confidence that the results of any situation will be mostly positive, good, or favorable. In the school bus business, we approach every day with a sense of optimism. For every day we are responsible for transporting 25 million children to school on our nearly half a […]