Probst announces state funding for East Stroudsburg schools to train and recruit new bus drivers
Rep. Tarah Probst July 22, 2026 | 1:34 PM
STROUDSBURG, July 22 – State Rep. Tarah Probst today announced that the East Stroudsburg Area School District has been awarded a $38,750 state grant through the state Transportation Department’s School Bus Safety Grant Program to help recruit and train new school bus drivers.
The funding is part of a statewide investment of more than $1.1 million announced by the Shapiro administration to help 26 schools and transportation providers across 19 Pennsylvania counties train more than 430 new school bus drivers. The grants help cover the costs of commercial driver's license training, trainee wages, and testing and permit fees.
“Every student deserves a safe and reliable ride to and from school, and that starts with having well-trained, qualified school bus drivers behind the wheel,” Probst said. “This funding will help the East Stroudsburg Area School District recruit and train new drivers, strengthening its transportation workforce while helping ensure students get to school safely each day. I'm grateful to the Shapiro administration for making this investment in our schools and our communities.”
The grant will support the East Stroudsburg Area School District's efforts to recruit qualified school bus drivers and strengthen its transportation workforce, helping ensure students have safe and dependable transportation to and from school.
“As a school district, we recognize that transportation is one of the few departments that impacts each of our families,” said Dr. Maggie Vitale, superintendent of East Stroudsburg Area School District. “It is always our goal to improve our services in this area. We understand the importance as an educational entity that one way we can do this is through strong professional learning. The East Stroudsburg Area School District is honored to be awarded this grant by the PA Department of Transportation to continue to grow our School Bus Transportation Training and Safety Learning Center. We remain committed to the personal and professional growth of our employees so that we can offer stronger services to our families.”
The School Bus Safety Grant Program is designed to address the statewide shortage of school bus drivers while supporting safe, dependable transportation for Pennsylvania students. By helping offset the costs associated with training new drivers, the program makes it easier for school districts and transportation providers to recruit and retain qualified personnel.
The funding is provided through PennDOT's School Bus Safety Grant Program. The Automated School Bus Enforcement Grant Program is a PennDOT-administered competitive grant program. Funding for the program is generated from a portion of the fine revenue collected through enforcement of Pennsylvania's School Bus Stopping Law and supports initiatives to improve school bus safety across the commonwealth.
Probst said investments like this one help ensure students can travel safely to and from school while giving school districts the resources they need to build and maintain a strong transportation workforce.
For more information about PennDOT's School Bus Safety Grant Program, visit the program's website.
Probst represents the 189th Legislative District, which includes Delaware Water Gap, Smithfield East Stroudsburg, Stroudsburg and parts of Middle Smithfield and Stroud in Monroe County and Delaware, Lehman and Porter in Pike County.
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CONTACT: Ryan Bevitz
House Democratic Communications Office
Phone: 717-787-7895
Email: rbevitz@pahouse.net
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