For the past several yeas the Southeastern States Pupil Transportation Conference has awarded $1,000 scholarships to college-age students representing each of the 14 states in the region. A call for nominations was sent to the industry for this year's conference.

To be eligible, students must have at least a 3.0 GPA, must be graduates of a public high school and must be attending a post-secondary educational institution starting in 2011. The students' parents or guardians must also have actively worked in school transportation for the past five years and who have a gross taxable income of less than $75,000 for the past five tax years. The scholarships are to be used for the 2011-2012 school year.

The awards are named after R.A. “Buster” Bynum, retired director of the Virginia Department of Education’s pupil transportation office and current SESPTC treasurer.

Applications are due no later than June 1, 2011. The 61st annual SESPTC, as the event is known, scheduled for July 10-13 in Oklahoma City. SESPTC member states are: Alabama; Arkansas; Florida; Georgia; Kentucky; Louisiana; Mississippi; North Carolina; Oklahoma; South Carolina; Tennessee; Texas; Virginia; and West Virginia.