Only Kaukauna students who live farther than 2 miles from school will be bused this fall

KAUKAUNA – Transportation for students in the Kaukauna Area School District will look a little different starting next school year.

The board voted unanimously Monday night to extend the busing radius starting in the 2023-24 school year, meaning only students who live farther than 2 miles from their school will be eligible. The current transportation policy needed to be changed because Kobussen Buses, the busing company the district uses — like many others in the state — is facing a shortage of drivers.

One board member was absent and excused from the meeting.

"Moving forward, the District will need to make changes to our transportation policy in order to create a busing situation that is sustainable given the ever-shrinking number of drivers available to transport students to and from school each day," Superintendent Mike Slowinski wrote in a letter to the board.

About 25 community members attended the meeting and three parents addressed the board during the public comment portion of the meeting.

One parent spoke in favor of staggered start times — an option that was on the table, but was not acted upon — and urged that no matter what was decided that the district give parents plenty of notice of changes. Another parent posed a question about crossing guards: Would more crossing guards be added if more students are asked to walk to school?

The policy modifications approved also included language about door-to-door service for 4K and kindergarten students. Instead, those students will be picked up at designated stops, rather than the bus coming up to their driveway.

With this change, 4K through fourth grade students will now be bussed together on 72-passenger buses.

How does the new transportation policy compare to the current policy?

Currently, the district offers busing for 4K and kindergarten students who live more than half a mile from their school, first through fourth graders who live more than a mile from their school and fifth through 12th graders who live more than 2 miles from their school.

The changes approved by the board Monday will extend that radius to 2 miles for all students for the 2023-24 school year.

State law requires districts to bus students who live outside of a 2-mile radius from their school, so Kaukauna’s changes are still in line with that.

Many districts in the Fox Valley already use a 2-mile radius including the Appleton Area School District, Kimberly Area School District, Menasha Joint School District and Neenah Joint School District. There are exceptions, however, for students who live closer but would need to take a hazardous route or for students with special needs. 

The policy modifications approved also included language about door-to-door service for 4K and kindergarten students. Instead, those students will be picked up at designated stops, rather than the bus coming into their driveways. The policy now says that school transportation will only pick up students from their driveways if a student needs it, according to an individualized education program.

What about staggering start times?

A suggestion to stagger school start times to allow bus drivers to essentially double up on routes was not approved.

Under this proposal, buses would transport students to schools that start earlier and then turn around and transport students at schools that start later.

The main issue with this option, per the discussion Monday night, is that it would impact every student, family, staff and community member that is connected with the district.

Currently, elementary and secondary schools all start at 7:50 a.m. Start times would need to be at least an hour apart for this option to work. 

Reach AnnMarie Hilton at ahilton@gannett.com or 920-370-8045. Follow her on Twitter at @hilton_annmarie.