The Southeastern States Pupil Transportation Conference (SESPTC) is a non-profit corporation created over 55 years ago to host an annual conference focused on educating student transportation professionals working in the southeast. The member southeastern states are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. Over the last few years, with the support of industry vendors, the SESPTC has accumulated funds that the SESPTC Board of Directors has decided to disburse in the form of student education scholarships. This year the SESPTC Board has approved the award of two $1,000 scholarships to deserving students in each of the 14 southeastern states. The scholarship funds must be used to cover education expenses at a postsecondary educational institution and will be paid to the institution in support of a student’s 2008-09 school year expenses.
The attached scholarship document provides additional information about the scholarship, including parent and student qualifications, the application form, required supporting documentation and the selection process to determine deserving students.
To qualify, a family must have a gross taxable income less than $75,000 for each of the past five tax years. A parent/guardian of the student must have been actively employed in public school transportation for the past five years. A student qualifies by graduating from a public high school and then attending a postsecondary educational institution in 2008. The $1,000 scholarship can be used for any part of the student’s 2008-09 school year tuition, books or fees.
To assure that all eligible students have an opportunity to apply for this scholarship, please help distribute this information to your transportation staff and high school counselors. Eligible applicants include any of the following transportation staff: bus drivers, bus aides/monitors, bus mechanics, directors of student transportation services, bus supervisors, bus driver trainers, bus safety inspectors, and many other positions either employed by a school district or the state Department of Education.
The local district selection committee may submit one applicant to the state. Applications are due no later than May 15, 2008, and the awards will be announced in June 2008. If you have any questions, please contact Kay Kennedy, Division of District Operation, at (502)564-5279 or mailto:Kay.Kennedy@education.ky.gov.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this information.