Pupil Transportation

Important Notice: 2011 Professional Development Seminar (PDS) for SBDIs (1/11/11)

 

The 2010 State Budget did not include the continuing authority for the SED to expend funding for the Professional Development Seminar for SBDIs.  Previous budgets have provided $400,000 in funds to operate various programs within the School Bus Driver Safety Training Program. In 2010 Governor Paterson vetoed the language of Article VII which included, amongst many other State categorical programs, the SBDSTP program, which pays for the annual PDS.

We have been working with our contractors, PTSI and Safety Rules, to develop ways to continue the 2011 PDS and develop the necessary annual refreshers for school bus drivers, monitors and attendants.   We are very fortunate to have nonprofit agencies which are devoted to school bus driver safety training and are willing to do what is necessary to help the program continue.

We are continuing to work on obtaining State funding for our program and should know if that will be possible for the 2011 PDS by the end of January.   Until, that time we are working with our contractors on a contingency PDS plan.  The plan would entail offering up to 5 large groups PDS classes across the state.   The class would necessarily be of a short duration and just cover the materials developed for the school bus driver, monitor and attendant three refreshers.

Although, we still hope to be able to offer our smaller group classes, as in previous years, we do know that we will not be printing a 2011 PDS Manual.  Instead, SBDIs will receive a DVD of all curricula and teaching instructions.   If we cannot obtain State funding, SBDIs will be charged a fee to attend the mandatory PDS.  We are working on ways to keep the cost to SBDIs as low as possible and still provide you with a quality product to teach our drivers, monitors and attendants.  Those are our main goals.

Please check back to this website often for updates.  When everything has been finalized we will place a notice here.  We will also send notices via email to all SBDIs and MIs regarding how, when and where to register for the PDS; how much it will cost, if anything; and where the classes will be conducted.   We will also share the notices with NYAPT and NYSBCA to provide to their memberships.

Thank you for your understanding and continued patience in these difficult and uncertain economic times.
Last Updated: January 11, 2011