The Burlington Local School District board on Aug. 14 approved bus routes for the 2025–26 school year and accepted the state’s transportation‑in‑lieu amount for the coming year.

Lede: District staff presented the annual bus‑route schedule and told the board the routes for 2025–26 are three fewer than last year; the board approved the routes by roll call. The district said driver retirements and route consolidations are among the reasons for the reduction.

Nut graf: Transportation staff will submit the required pupil‑transportation counts to the Department of Education and Workforce and said families will receive route‑assignment messaging before school starts.

Details

- Routes and ridership: The superintendent said the district is three routes smaller than last year and asked the transportation coordinator (Sherry, referenced in the meeting) to absorb or eliminate three routes; staff noted the district must submit an annual count to the Department of Education and Workforce showing how many students ride buses.

- Parent notifications: The district will send automated messages to parents showing assigned bus numbers and estimated pick‑up and drop‑off windows; the superintendent said families should receive rough times within about two weeks of the meeting and final times after routes are finalized.

- Transportation‑in‑lieu: The board approved transportation‑in‑lieu amounts for 2025–26 as directed by the Department of Education and Workforce; the transcript recorded the figure as $607.15 per eligible student for the year.

Why this matters

Bus routing affects students’ daily commutes and staffing requirements; district staff said the route reduction reflects retirements and an effort to remain cost‑effective. Transportation‑in‑lieu payments affect families and district budget planning where parents opt for payment instead of district bus service.

Actions

- Board approved the 2025–26 bus routes as presented; roll‑call votes recorded as Yes from board members present.
- Board approved the transportation and in‑lieu agreements for 2024–25/2025–26 school years consistent with state guidance.

Speakers

Superintendent — presented and explained route changes and parent notification plans.
Sherry (transportation coordinator, referenced) — cited as the staff member handling route adjustments (did not speak on the record in the transcript excerpts).
Board members Josh Hagen, Kathy Krepko, Karen Humphreys and Mark Ryan — voted to approve the routes and agreements.

Clarifying details

- Number of routes reduced: 3 routes removed compared with the previous year (superintendent statement).
- Transportation in lieu amount (2025–26): $607.15 (per Department of Education and Workforce figure reported in meeting).
- Parent notification: automated messaging will provide approximate pick‑up and drop‑off windows, with more precise times once the school year begins.

Proper names

[{"name":"Burlington Local School District","type":"agency"},{"name":"Department of Education and Workforce","type":"agency"}]

Searchable tags

["transportation","bus routes","in‑lieu","busing","parents"]

Provenance

[{"block_id":"block_4015.12","local_start":0,"local_end":120,"evidence_excerpt":"First 1 is recommend the motion to approve the following bus routes for the 02/2025, 2026 school year as shown in exhibit a... We are 3 routes smaller this year" ,"global_start":4015,"global_end":4040,"tc_start":"01:06:55","tc_end":"01:07:20","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"block_4495.48","local_start":0,"local_end":120,"evidence_excerpt":"Finally, number 8, recommend a motion to approve the following transportation in lieu agreements for the 02/2526 school year... transportation in lieu is $607.15." ,"global_start":4495,"global_end":4551,"tc_start":"01:14:55","tc_end":"01:15:51","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]

Salience

{"overall":0.58,"overall_justification":"Daily student transportation affects many families; route reductions and state in‑lieu rates have operational and budget impact.","impact_scope":"local","impact_scope_justification":"Directly affects district students and families.","attention_level":"medium","attention_level_justification":"Parents and staff will be attentive to route assignments and timing.","novelty":0.2,"novelty_justification":"Annual routing is routine but route reductions and the in‑lieu amount are notable changes.","timeliness_urgency":0.6,"timeliness_urgency_justification":"Timing matters before school starts; route assignments will be communicated to families.","budgetary_significance":0.4,"budgetary_significance_justification":"Routes and in‑lieu payments affect operational budgets but are not a single large capital expenditure.","affected_population_estimate":1200,"affected_population_estimate_justification":"Ridership affects students who take district buses; exact ridership figures to be submitted to state and not specified in transcript.","affected_population_confidence":0.4}