School BUSRide March 2025 | Page 8

DISPATCH

NCST 2025 Appeals Process is open

The 2025 NCST Appeals Process is open March 1 , 2025 – April 15 , 2025 . Any State Delegation , NCST Steering Committee member , or Interested Party may submit an appeal . Appeals are eligible for submission on proposals rejected by Writing Committees or proposals modified without the proposer ’ s consent . If the appeal is rejected by the Steering Committee , no further action is possible . If it is upheld by the Steering Committee , the proposal proceeds to the delegation for consideration . To file an appeal , please complete the Appeal Request Proposal Response Form and submit it to ncstconference @ gmail . com no later than the end of the day on Friday , March 28 , 2025 . Once submitted , the NCST Steering Committee will be in touch regarding the request . Appeals will be heard via zoom . If you have questions please contact Mike LaRocco , Chair , or Ronna Weber at ncstconference @ gmail . com .

AASA joins national , state and local groups in letter prioritizing IDEA funding

NAPT is proud to join 27 national organizations and dozens of state and local groups in a letter to Congress , highlighting actions they can take to support the education of students with disabilities during the 50th anniversary of IDEA this year . The letter was sent by the IDEA Full Funding Coalition , AASA serves as a proud co-chair of the coalition .

Blue Bird appoints John Wyskiel as president and CEO

Blue Bird Corporation has appointed John Wyskiel to the position of president and CEO , effective February 17 , 2025 . He will also join the Board of Directors on the same date . Wyskiel succeeds Phil Horlock , who served as the company ’ s president and CEO from 2011 to 2021 and was reappointed to the position in May 2023 . Horlock will remain on the Board , supporting Wyskiel to ensure a smooth leadership transition . Wyskiel is an automotive industry veteran with over 35 years of

John Wyskiel experience in manufacturing leadership , operational excellence and global sales and supply chain management . He will be instrumental in driving Blue Bird ’ s strategic initiatives and delivering profitable growth . Wyskiel is very familiar with Blue Bird , having served as general manager of Blue Bird Coach in Canada , one of the largest manufacturers of Type A and Type C school buses , from 2002 to 2004 . He returns to Blue Bird after a successful 20-year career at Magna International , where he most recently was president of Magna Seating . In this role , he was responsible for leading a $ 6 billion business with 33,000 employees across more than 60 manufacturing facilities in 15 countries . Prior to that , Wyskiel was vice president of Magna ’ s Body & Structures business in Canada and the United States . His extensive background includes various senior roles in manufacturing , operations , engineering , product management and sales at automotive suppliers Magna , Dana Corporation and Borg Warner . “ I ’ m thrilled to return to Blue Bird , an iconic American company ,” said Wyskiel . “ I ’ m passionate about building scalable operations and leading high-performance teams to drive continuous improvement . I look forward to working with the entire Blue Bird team and dealer network to execute our strategic initiatives and to deliver sustained profitable growth .” “ John ’ s deep and varied expertise in operational excellence and manufacturing leadership makes him an ideal fit for this role at this time ,” said Doug Grimm , chairman of Blue Bird Corporation . “ His proven track record will be invaluable as we expand our footprint and improve our operational processes to support our customers . “ On behalf of the Board , I would like to thank Phil for his significant contributions and for the stability he has provided as CEO for nearly 15 years ,” said Grimm . “ He has been instrumental in positioning the Company for long-term success , and in particular for firmly establishing Blue Bird as the leader in electric and low-emission school buses . We wish him the best in his retirement . The business is running extremely well with profitability , margins and liquidity at record levels over the past two years . This is the ideal time to transition to a new CEO .”

School Bus Safety Company completes update and recreation of Train the Trainer Instructional Course

The School Bus Safety Company ( SBSC ) announced they have completed the update and re-creation of their Train the Trainer Instructional Course for school bus driver trainers . The Train the Trainer Instructional Course is an advanced educational course for trainers in the school bus industry . It can be delivered online or from a thumb drive . The course includes seven programs and a 50-question final exam . “ The most important factor in providing safe student transportation is the training received by the drivers ,” said Jeff Cassell , president of SBSC . “ The quality of this training is a direct result of the knowledge and skills of the trainers providing the training . In many cases , a trainer is a promoted senior driver who has never been properly trained to be a trainer and is left to navigate the process without guidance .” “ Going through this course ensures that every trainer knows all the techniques and methods to provide the most effective training to the drivers ,” he continued . “ This will result in them doing it right , the first time , every time in everything they need to do to safely transport students .”

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