Parent says district failed to warn families about bus eligibility after rezoning; board hears complaints

Clint Devoe, a father of two, told the Washburn Board of Education on Monday that he and other families were blindsided when they learned their children would not receive district bus service after rezoning around the district's new middle school. "I literally called Friday and found out that everything was definitely not fine," Devoe said. He said district staff suggested instead busing his daughter "seven and a half miles to the other middle school, but not two miles to the middle school that was just built." The exchange took place during the public-comment portion of the meeting and drew clarifying discussion from board members and administrators. Devoe said district leaders had previously assured families in his area that students would follow enrollment and not need transfers to remain at their schools, and that he had repeatedly engaged the district about zoning since 2023. He said he and his wife had asked the district to calculate their distance and were told on a recent Friday that they were "right outside the two mile zone" and would not need to fill out transfer paperwork. That understanding changed, he said, when district communications and the final transportation policy left his daughter marked as a transfer and without routine bus service. "None of that happened. No one ever communicated that we were outside of the attendance boundary and therefore giving up the service," he said. District administrators acknowledged there was a communication gap but said staff have been trying to reach affected families. In response to Devoe, an administrator said the district had offered families in the northwest portion of the Auburn Attendance Center a choice between attending their home middle school (Washburn Rural Middle School) or Washburn Rural North. Officials said the number of Auburn-area families offered that choice was "just under 20 families," and later noted that about one-third of families in that group had chosen Washburn Rural North. Administrators explained transportation eligibility rules: students attending Washburn Rural Middle School because it is beyond the district27s walking threshold would receive transportation; there is no regular bus route that travels north in the neighborhood, and only a small number of families chose Washburn Rural North. Board members asked for clarification about who had been told they would receive choice versus who would be boundary-constrained. Michael White, a district staff member referenced repeatedly by parents, was identified in public remarks as having been engaged with the family on transportation; White was noted as unable to attend the meeting. Administrators said they were continuing direct outreach to families who had opted into district bus service but had not yet paid the fee, and said they were actively recruiting additional bus drivers and crossing guards to address routing and staffing limitations. Devoe asked the board to hold the administration accountable and said his daughter had been "devastated all weekend" by the uncertainty. The board did not take a formal vote or adopt a new policy on bus eligibility at the meeting. Board members asked staff to continue outreach and to follow up with Devoe and other affected families. The discussion also included staff explanations of transfer approvals the district had granted in prior years and confirmation that at least one family27s student had been assigned to Washburn Rural North under the district27s assignment procedures.