Membership Transparency Update: OAPT’s Role in the House Bill 96 Student Transportation Workgroup

OAPT’s transparency with our membership is one of our highest priorities, especially regarding initiatives that shape the future of our industry. Since October 2025, OAPT has actively participated in the Student Transportation Workgroup, which was established by the 136th General Assembly under House Bill 96. Administered by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW), this legislative body was formed to conduct a comprehensive study of pupil transportation dynamics, funding structures, and operational challenges across Ohio throughout the 2025 school year. As the leading voice for school transportation professionals across the state, OAPT’s involvement has been vital to ensuring that the real-world, day-to-day operational realities of our local districts and transportation departments are directly represented at the state level.
Throughout this multi-month collaborative process, our representatives have advocated fiercely for actionable solutions to the most critical pressures affecting our industry today. The workgroup spent the winter of 2025 and the spring of 2026 engaged in intensive study sessions, thoroughly analyzing 2025 school year data to address ongoing school bus driver shortages, sustainable recruitment programs, state funding models, and the complex logistics of regional coordination.

By the statutory deadline of June 30, 2026, the group will officially submit its comprehensive findings and policy recommendations directly to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.