Younger students won't have to walk as far under revised Kaukauna Schools busing policy
KAUKAUNA - The Kaukauna Area School District updated its busing policy for this coming fall again.
On Monday, the school board approved another update to its busing policy after updating it in January. The district originally made changes because Kobussen Buses, the busing company the district uses — like many others in the state — experienced a shortage of drivers.
As of Friday afternoon, Kobussen has enough drivers to cover most of its routes, but always needs more, said Henrique Hilgenberg, safety manager.
"It is always a good thing to be covered and have a couple of what we call 'stand-by' drivers," he said in an email to The Post-Crescent.
Superintendent Mike Slowinski told The Post-Crescent the district realized it could still accomplish its goal of creating a more sustainable busing plan without extending the radius for all grade levels.
More: These Fox Cities moms are filling the need for bus drivers, with babies in tow
What is the new policy?
Under the newly adopted policy, busing will be available to students in 4K through fourth grade who live more than a mile from school and to fifth- through 12th-graders who live more than 2 miles from their school.
The newest policy still eliminates door-to-door pick-up for 4K and kindergarten students. Those students will be picked up from designated stops.
Why has the district been making changes to its busing policy?
The district needed to make its busing policy more “sustainable” because of the driver shortage busing companies are experiencing.
Why did they change the policy again?
As the district planned the logistics for fall busing, it realized many students who live within 2 miles would need to be bused because of hazardous roadways. Moving the radius back to 1 mile for younger students will still reduce the number of buses and accommodate students along hazardous roadways.
“I think this is a lot more responsive to our families,” Slowinski told The Post-Crescent.
Is there a cost to the district to make these changes?
The policy change is estimated to cost the district $200,000, according to a memo shared on the school board's website.
What were the policy changes approved in January?
The changes approved by the board earlier this year extended the radius to 2 miles for all students for the 2023-24 school year. That change, originally scheduled to go into effect this fall, has now been amended.
More: Only Kaukauna students who live farther than 2 miles from school will be bused this fall
What was the original policy?
Before any changes were made, the district offered busing for 4K and kindergarten students who live more than a half-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 difference between this and the new policy is the radius for 4K and kindergarten families.
Reach AnnMarie Hilton at ahilton@gannett.com or 920-370-8045. Follow her on Twitter at @hilton_annmarie.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Kaukauna updates bus radius, Kobussen still facing driver shortage
