ATLANTA – Governor Brian P. Kemp today announced that Blue Bird Corporation (Blue Bird), a technology leader and innovator of school buses, is expanding its existing footprint in Peach County. The company plans to invest an estimated $300 million in a new manufacturing facility in Fort Valley, creating 375 new jobs over the next three years.

“For nearly 100 years, Blue Bird has been an incredible part of Georgia’s story, and now that story will continue to be written for years to come,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “We are proud when our long-time partners can grow and adapt to changing markets right here in the Peach State, and this expansion is the latest example that our pro-business environment is fostering sustained success for our business partners. I want to congratulate Blue Bird, Fort Valley, and Peach County on this announcement and their continued prosperity.”

Blue Bird school buses are available in a wide range of options and configurations to meet the diverse needs of school districts worldwide. The company has set industry standards through innovative design, engineering excellence, and advanced manufacturing capabilities, and currently supports more than 1,900 employees in Georgia.

“Georgia is where Blue Bird was born, and it has been our home for nearly 100 years. Every bus that rolls out of our plant carries the pride of the people across Middle Georgia who build it,” said John Wyskiel, President and CEO of Blue Bird Corporation. “Our new facility in Fort Valley is our way of investing back into the community where we will continue to build more of the safe, dependable buses that school districts rely on, so we can keep getting children to school safely for the next hundred years.”

Blue Bird will convert a former manufacturing site for diesel-powered motorhomes at 401 Wanderlodge Way in Fort Valley into a new facility to build buses of all powertrains. The new, 1-million-square-foot manufacturing facility will produce Type C school buses, including diesel, gasoline, propane, and electric-powered models. Construction is expected to begin in Q1 2027. The company will be hiring for manufacturing, operations, and technician roles. To learn more about Blue Bird, including where interested individuals can apply for jobs, visit www.blue-bird.com/careers.

“For generations, Fort Valley has helped Blue Bird move America forward. Today, Blue Bird is helping Fort Valley move toward a new century of possibilities,” said Fort Valley Mayor Shakeena B. Reeves. “May the next 100 years be defined not only by the buses we manufacture, but by the families we strengthen, the opportunities we create, and the future we build together.”

“Peach County is proud to be home to Blue Bird, and this massive $300 million expansion and creation of 375 new jobs is a monumental win for our entire community,” said Commissioner Roy Lewis, Peach County Board of Commissioners. “This investment underscores the strength of our local workforce and our collaborative partnership with state and local leaders. We look forward to seeing Blue Bird continue to thrive right here in Fort Valley.”

Regional Project Manager Candice Scott represented the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s (GDEcD) Global Commerce team on this competitive project in partnership with the Development Authority of Peach County and Georgia Quick Start.

“Since 1927, Blue Bird has been one of Georgia’s longest-standing automotive manufacturers, evolving with the industry while continuing to grow in Fort Valley and Middle Georgia,” said GDEcD Commissioner Pat Wilson. “For nearly 100 years, families across America have placed their trust in Blue Bird every school day, entrusting these buses to safely carry their children to and from school. It’s remarkable to see that legacy continuing to create jobs and opportunity in a rural Georgia community, and to see Blue Bird continuing to invest and grow in the place it has called home for generations. Congratulations to Blue Bird on its upcoming centennial and to our local partners in Fort Valley and Peach County who have helped make this remarkable legacy possible.”

About Blue Bird Corporation

Blue Bird is recognized as a technology leader and innovator of school buses since its founding in 1927. Their dedicated team members design, engineer, and manufacture school buses with a singular focus on safety, reliability, and durability. School buses carry the most precious cargo in the world – 25 million children twice a day – making them the most trusted mode of student transportation. The company is a proven leader in low-and-zero-emission school buses with more than 25,000 propane, natural gas, and electric-powered buses sold. Blue Bird is transforming the student transportation industry through cleaner energy solutions. For more information on Blue Bird’s complete product and service portfolio, visit www.blue-bird.com.

The post Gov. Kemp: Blue Bird Invests $300 Million in Peach County, Ga. appeared first on School Transportation News.

School districts and bus companies can use a two-hour training session at the 2026 Transporting Students with Disabilities (TSD) Conference to take a closer look at how they prepare school bus aides, attendants or monitors — and identify where their programs need to grow.

Launi Harden and Teena Mitchell will lead the two-hour session Nov. 9. It is designed for organizations with an established attendant-training program as well as those still developing one. Participants will examine whether their current training prepares aides and monitors for the responsibilities in their job descriptions. Those without a formal program can use the session as a starting point for building one.

Harden is a retired director of transportation for the Washington County School District in Utah. She is now a school transportation consultant, executive director of the Florida Association for Pupil Transportation and a tenured faculty member of the TSD Conference. Mitchell is a special needs transportation coordinator for Greenville Public Schools in South Carolina, an expert witness in legal cases involving the transportation of students with disabilities and special needs and immediate past-president of the National Association for Pupil Transportation.

Rather than relying on a lecture format, the presenters plan to make the session participatory. Attendees will work in small groups to unpack what specific job duties mean in practice, discuss how they should be taught and consider how to evaluate whether employees can perform them. The goal is for participants to leave with practical ideas they can bring back to their own organizations.

The discussion will draw on eight areas of attendant training: Disability awareness, equipment use, job duties, individualized education programs, confidentiality, student behavior, de-escalation and support strategies, and professional performance and communication skills. The presenters will connect those topics to actual job-description language, helping attendees move from broad expectations to specific skills and procedures.

The Accuracy of School Bus Attendant Job Descriptions

A job description might say that an aide or attendant is responsible for loading and unloading students or using specialty equipment. The session will encourage participants to consider what those job duties require beyond the wording on the page. For example, how can aides support students during the process? What equipment knowledge is needed? How do expectations change for a student who uses a wheelchair? And how should training be verified before an aide handles a task independently?

That approach can also help districts and companies identify whether a job description is clear enough to guide training and whether training covers the responsibilities employees are expected to carry out. Attendees can examine where a program is working, where it may leave gaps and what steps could make it more consistent.

The two-hour session will use focused discussions and small group exercises to keep participants involved. Harden and Mitchell expect attendees to share questions and experiences, compare approaches and discuss best practices. The format is intended to help participants build a usable framework, not simply collect a list of topics.

The presenters will also address the importance of matching support to students’ needs and considering safety responsibilities in context. As part of that discussion, participants can reflect on the role of IEP teams, the need to document concerns and what a district may need to consider when it knows a student faces a safety risk. Mitchell’s work as an expert witness informs her perspective on how decisions about transportation support may be scrutinized. The session is a professional training opportunity, not legal advice.

For districts and contractors, the value of the training may be in the questions it helps them ask. Do aides understand the full scope of their duties? Are they prepared to support students with different needs? Do they know how to use required equipment? Does the organization have a way to confirm that training has been understood and applied?

Attendees who already have an attendant program can use the session as a litmus test for their current practices. Those starting from scratch can use its topics and activities to begin designing a program that fits their own operations and workforce. In either case, the focus is on translating expectations into skills that can be taught, discussed and evaluated.

The TSD Conference and Trade Show takes place Nov. 4–10 at the Embassy Suites in Frisco, Texas.

Attendees can save $100 on Main Conference registration by registering before the Early Bird discount expires this Friday, Oct. 2. The Early Bird rate is $499, compared with the $599 standard rate. Main Conference registration includes breakout, general and keynote sessions, networking events and the trade show. Special training courses require additional registration or fees. 

Related: Bluth to Address Safety Guidance, Head Start Proposal at TSD Conference
Related: Special Needs Roadeo Returns to TSD Conference with Expanded Training, Team Challenges
Related: ASL Training at TSD Conference to Equip Student Transporters for Safer Communication 

The post Evaluate, Start Developing School Bus Attendant Training Programs at TSD Conference appeared first on School Transportation News.