Silver Falls board reviews supplemental transportation plan that could cut some in‑town stops, add $65,000 route

Silver Falls School District 4J board members and transportation staff reviewed a revised supplemental transportation plan during the board work session, discussing possible removal of several in‑town bus stops, new mapping of walking boundaries and the likely need to add an unreimbursed bus route that staff estimated would cost about $65,000.

The supplemental plan, referenced in board policy EEA, sets walking radii for students and marks safety exceptions where students within the radius will continue to receive bus service. Staff described the policy's walking radii as one mile for kindergarten through grade 8 students and 1.5 miles for grades 9–12, and said the new packet maps exceptions — shown in red — where safety concerns require bus service even inside the radius.

The board was shown maps and a spreadsheet that list specific stops and addresses. Laura (transportation staff) said the red-marked areas are "areas that will receive bus service, even though it's within the radius." She told the board the Mark Twain route in particular is near capacity and that one route averages about 65 students; the largest single stop she cited had about 14 students. "If we continue to provide service within the walking zone, we would need another bus," she said.

Why it matters

The discussion matters because adding a nonreimbursable bus route would increase district costs and because changes to stops would affect families who currently rely on close-in service. Staff and board members flagged safety, equity and operational tradeoffs: enforcing walking boundaries limits bus mileage and operating costs but could increase parent driving, exacerbate arrival/ dismissal congestion and raise safety concerns for younger students.

Details and next steps

- Exceptions and safety: The supplemental plan maps red areas as exceptions to the walking radius; staff said those exceptions reflect safety concerns such as lack of continuous sidewalks, rail crossings, or other hazards. Board members pointed out specific neighborhoods (for example, areas off Monitor Road and a nearby mobile‑home park) where the map needed more granular labeling to avoid confusion.

- Stops inside the walking radius: Staff said nine Mark Twain stops listed on the single‑page handout are inside the walking radius and could be discontinued under stricter enforcement; four Robert Frost stops were listed, one of which (near "Mocha Delight" on the packet) currently had no riders. Laura said about 45 students who live inside the walking radius currently ride at a stop closer to them rather than walking to school; about 10 similar riders were reported for Robert Frost.

- Capacity and cost: Laura and other staff described Mark Twain buses as at or near capacity; to avoid routinely using larger trip/transit buses, staff said the district would likely need to add a dedicated route next year for Mark Twain. Staff estimated the incremental cost to add a route at about $65,000 and said that amount is not reimbursable under the state’s student transportation reimbursement rules.

- History and compliance: Kim Kellison (Superintendent) noted the district’s supplemental plan had not been updated in many years; Laura said the last comprehensive supplemental plan dates to about 2011. That gap, board members said, has allowed long‑standing local practices to drift from the written walking‑radius policy.

- Public outreach and timing: Staff recommended parent meetings and targeted outreach before formal changes take effect. Kim and others emphasized that the budget calendar is tight; any decision that requires adding a route would affect the district contingency and budget planning for the coming year. No formal action was taken at the meeting; staff said they will schedule parent engagement sessions at the schools most affected and return with refined maps and cost implications.

Board concerns and clarifications

Board members raised safety and equity questions: whether younger children should be expected to walk longer distances, how to treat families who rely on in‑town stops, and whether changes would push more parents to drive and create congestion at drop‑off zones. Staff replied that the routing maps are generated from the district routing software and that stop-by-stop details will be published in the student information system so families can look up their official stop addresses.

Other technical clarifications included whether a white street on the maps denotes an existing stop (staff: yes) and why some connected neighborhoods have different designations (staff cited a mix of sidewalk gaps, rail crossings and specific stop locations). Laura said route counts change over the year and that student turnover can create capacity issues even if numbers fluctuate.

What the board asked staff to do

Board members asked staff to: - Hold targeted parent meetings in affected schools (Mark Twain, Robert Frost, Scotts Mills) and present clear maps showing school boundaries and stops; staff agreed to lead those meetings. - Clarify maps by overlaying school boundary lines and documenting the stop locations and the number of students boarding at each stop in the student information system. - Provide a refined budget impact assessment that shows the net cost of (a) adding a route, and (b) continuing current service patterns while noting reimbursement limits.

Provenance

First related transcript excerpt: "Kevin, Laura, you're up. Transportation." (transcript block starting at 46.504997) — topicintro

Last related transcript excerpt: "Thank you both." (transcript block starting at 2126.83) — topfinish

Ending

Staff will return to the board after community outreach and with a refined cost and stop list. The board did not make any binding changes at the work session; members emphasized balancing safety for younger students with the district’s limited budget and the need to gather family feedback before any route reductions are finalized.