District reduces routes to meet budget; trustees approve changes to safety busing zones

The Lakeland School District approved a transportation plan Tuesday that reduces five bus routes to meet budget targets by changing safety‑busing parameters and expanding several non‑transportation zones.

Jessica Dainart, the district transportation director, told trustees staff raised the safe‑walk score from 50 to 56, reclassified some roads as non‑transportation zones and reduced side‑road runs. She said the district re‑evaluated safety zones with the leadership team before finalizing the plan.

“I increased our safety busing walk score from 50 to 56,” Dainart said, explaining the operational changes that allowed the district to eliminate five routes.

Board members asked for a combined map of the impacted routes and for clarification about how many students live in the newly designated non‑transportation areas. Transportation staff provided counts for the areas added to the non‑transportation list: - 3 Forks (Hauser): 16 students - Rice Road and Hauser (west of Burdett): 23 students - North Rimrock Road (north of Ohio Match Road): 15 students - Ohio Match Road (east of Rimrock): 9 students - Garwood Road (east of Rimrock): 13 students - Lancaster Road area (Strayhorn reroute): about 7 students - Twin Lakes Road (west of Dockside and Windler): 7 students

Trustees approved the plan and asked staff to provide a route map for board reference and to monitor the number of in‑lieu transportation requests (parents who may request payment instead of bus service) arising from the changes.

What the board did: motion to approve bus routes and the identified non‑transportation zones passed by voice vote.