Click on the images below to hear the audio recording of Nick Vallone, NYSBCA President, testifying and answering questions from the education committee at the 2023 Joint Legislative Budget on Education on Wednesday, February 8, 2023, at the Legislative Office building in Albany, NY.

NYSBCA thanks Nick Vallone for representing the private school bus contractors at the budget hearing and for advocating for our industry as we continue to have representation at the State Capitol and look to improve the school bus transportation system, reduce unnecessary costs, and, most importantly— keep our children safe.

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JANUARY 03, 2023

NSTA: The Bus Stop - Executive Director, Curt Macysyn interviews Mike Martucci, New York State Senator 42nd District, Former Owner of Quality Bus Service. Mike recaps his journey into the political realm from yellow bus. Curt and Mike outline the driver shortage and its intersection with government. Finally, the duo discuss strategies to build relationships with elected officials.

School Bus Fleet

Published on November 10, 2022

By Amanda Huggett

NEW YORK’S THIRD-PARTY CDL TESTING 

Click here for the full article online.

While we’ve all been feeling the pressure of the driver shortage, the state of New York and its DMV stepped up to offer an alternative solution: It put together a new program to allow third parties to offer CDL testing.

The move came after voiced concerns of the rigorous requirements weren’t helping ease the driver shortage. Following a phased approach announced in January by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, the intent was to create more testing locations across the state and expand capacity at state-run sites to reduce the time it takes to put new qualified drivers on the road.

Public and private organizations, including schools, tour bus, bus contractors, and truck companies, are eligible to apply for certification through the state DMV’s website.

Nick Vallone of Rolling V. Bus Corp and president of the New York School Bus Contractors Association (NYSBCA) walked us through the process to get the new program off the ground, which was done with regulation rather than legislation, he said. “Our proactive efforts of pitching this solution to the media and elected officials really paid off when the driver crisis hit home in September 2021. Once this became an issue that crossed the desk of the governor, they were already familiar with the concept of third-party testing and quickly gave the directive to the DMV to establish a third-party testing division.”

So far, Vallone says the results are phenomenal. “We’ve seen an increase in failures at our site, but that has been severely overshadowed by our ability to re-test within a few days,” he said. “In short, we’ve gotten a single candidate through three tests (two fails followed by a pass) in a matter of three weeks without sacrificing an ounce of safety. To get three tests done for the same individual through the DMV used to take 10 to 12 weeks.”

Tammy L. Mortier, NYSBCA’s executive director, agrees, calling it a tremendous benefit for the school bus contractors that are certified. “The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles Third Party CDL Testing program has been an excellent opportunity to help our members with the driver shortage by allowing certified school bus operators to provide private road tests at their facilities,” Mortier said. “This is a huge time saver to get qualified CDL drivers on the road. It's not an easy process, and you must comply with stringent federal and state guidelines to become certified and maintain your certification. Safety is always our number one priority. DMV has been a wonderful partner in this program as we work together to find solutions to the driver shortage.”

Vallone said at least 10 organizations have applied so far, and five are already up and running. It’s not just a program for contractors, though. Recently, Bethlehem Public Schools became a certified third-party tester.

Pennsylvania has had a similar program for years.

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Rockefeller Institute of Government

November 22, 2022

By Andrew Van Alstyne and Laura Rabinow

Key Takeaways

• The transition to a zero-emissions fleet will be a long-term project that offers substantial benefits for students, school districts, and their communities.
  
  
• A full transition to zero-emissions technology is a substantial undertaking, but can be realized with further resources and planning for logistical challenges.
  
  
• Some aspects of financing and resources to support the transition are not yet fully clear.

Chalkbeat New York | Essential education reporting in New York

By Reema Amin

Nov 7, 2022, 7:20pm EST

Gov. Kathy Hochul and Lee Zeldin, her Republican opponent, have built large campaign war chests as they seek to win New York state’s highest office on Tuesday. 

While education-focused groups haven’t stuck out as either candidate’s biggest donors, both candidates have received some substantial donations from those who exert influence on New York’s education world — helping to paint a clearer picture of who is hoping to have sway over schools policy. 

Hochul has touted boosting funding for public schools while in office and has earned the endorsements of powerful teachers unions. She recently revealed that she supported lifting the cap on how many charter schools can open in New York. 

Zeldin has voiced strong support for school choice, including charters and private choice options, and has embraced conservative talking points about banning “divisive curriculum” related to race and restricting “age-inappropriate” sex education.

Click Here to read the full article

This week is National School Bus Safety Week - October 17-21, 2022. The theme is "1 Bus + 1 Driver = A Big Impact on Education." The New York School Bus Contractors Association "NYSBCA" wants to thank our school bus drivers who keep our children safe and contribute to our education system, and make a difference.

EPA wants to hear from you on how to build its Clean School Bus Grants Program. Please come prepared to share your feedback on the program.

Click Here to Register

For more information, please visit our website: epa.gov/cleanschoolbus

If you have any feedback, please email: cleanschoolbus@epa.gov

Listen to Nicholas Vallone on NSTA's "The Bus Stop" podcast about "Addressing the Driver Shortage through Advocacy."

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Check out NYSBCA's past president, Corey Muirhead's podcast on NSTA's "The Bus Stop" about navigating the driver shortage, media, electric school buses, and more.

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