Michael LaRocco was named the new director of the Indiana Department of Education's Office of School Transportation this summer. Meanwhile, Maine now has an acting state director following the departure of Rick Soules.

LaRocco replaced Pete Baxter, who retired after 34 years in the agency, on July 27. He has been an employee of the Indiana DOE since April of last year, serving as the director of motorcycle rider education and teen driver education. LaRocco also has worked in pupil transportation in Indiana since 1993. He was the transportation director at Hamilton Southeastern School District in Fishers, Center Grove Community School Corporation in Greenwood and at Marion County Head Start.

"Head Start is one group that is pretty under-served for school transportation in this state," he recently told STN.

Meanwhile, NADPTS learned this week that Pat Hinckley has taken over as the acting state director at the Maine Department of Education, replacing Rick Soules earlier this month. Soules, who could not be reached at this writing, was scheduled to participate with Transfinder on two presentations on school transportation management services this week at the Association of School Business Officials 2010 Annual Meeting in Florida.