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Talawanda City to shift to two‑tier busing next school year; start, end times adjusted
Summary
The board heard details of a two‑tier bus schedule for 2025‑26: middle and high school tier 1, elementary tier 2, with revised start and end times and an emphasis on a one‑week notification before school.
The Talawanda City School District will move to a two‑tier bus schedule for the 2025‑26 school year, the superintendent told the board Jan. 9, a change that shifts middle and high school transportation into an earlier tier and moves elementary start times later.
Superintendent Dr. Thoreau said the district will operate Tier 1 for Tallawanda Middle School and Tallawanda High School and Tier 2 for elementary schools. Under the plan middle school students will be picked up first, be dropped off at the middle school (scheduled arrival and a 5‑minute window), and middle school dismissal is set at about 2:10 p.m. High school start time was presented at 7:55 a.m.; the high school will have a 0‑bell at about 7:30 a.m. Elementary students are slated to start at roughly 9:10 a.m. and have bus drop‑offs between 9:05 and 9:10 a.m.; elementary dismissal is scheduled at approximately 3:50 p.m.
"We are going to start off in tier 1. All students will be picked up and they will be dropped off at the middle school first," the superintendent said, explaining how buses will cycle to the high school and then begin Tier 2 runs for elementaries. (Dr. Thoreau)
Transportation staff said the district will operate about 32 routes for general education students, with about 16 buses serving farther‑reaching routes that transfer students between tiers. Special education transportation and mandated transports (Butler Tech, private/parochial) will continue to operate based on student need, the superintendent said.
The district will require families to sign up for bus service so staff can finalize routes; transportation officials urged families to register early, noting kindergarten students should be enrolled by July 1 for the most accurate routing. "We will send notifications to families approximately one week before school starts," the superintendent said. The district also reiterated safety rules: kindergarten students must have an adult or designated person at the bus stop; grades 1–2 should have a designated adult at the stop; students must be at stops 10 minutes before scheduled times.
District staff said route lists will be posted on the district website and updated; changes can take 3–4 days to process. The superintendent also noted that students who do not ride consistently may lose bus service and that the district does not provide bus passes for students to ride different routes on different days.
No formal board vote was required that night; the presentation was informational and staff said they will proceed with planning and family notification.
