There are changes coming to district transportation for the 2014-2015 school year, ensuring that more students are able to use the district bus service.

Prior to 2014, students could take the bus if they lived outside a one mile radius at the elementary schools, and a two mile radius at the junior high schools and the high school. However, this change lowers the radius to a half-mile for elementary schools, and one mile for other schools in the district.

The shift, allowing more students to use district transportation, relieves many parents of taking their kids to school in the morning.

According to Director of Operations Dennis Bloom, in a district statement, “The new rule takes effect in September 2014 and will provide busing services to about 630 more students than are currently served.”

High school students will be especially affected by the changes.

“Most affected will be those families who previously could only receive transportation through the Fee for Service Program. At the high school an estimated 173 students will become eligible for free transportation next year, where before we had just over 50 students riding through Fee for Service,” said Benjamin Davis, District Transportation Coordinator.

The Fee for Service program, allowing families to pay for bus service if they lived outside the zone, will no longer be available for students to utilize.

“The Fee for Service Program was started in 2006 when the district expanded the non-transported zones around all of the district buildings. Since the district is shrinking those zones to half their current size, the program is no longer needed,” explained Davis.

The district aims to alleviate some of the problems that came with the current transportation program.

“There are many reasons to expand bus service in our district,” said Davis. “Among them is to reduce the amount of traffic congestion around our buildings, address the concerns of families in light of the of the weather we had this past winter, and increase access for families for whom the availability of transportation is a factor in deciding to attend Stillwater Area Public Schools.”

All students must register for transportation, and forms for next year are available on the district website.