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Superintendent: gas-card program filled most requests; public-transit cards and bus routing increase attendance
Summary
Superintendent reported Jan. 9 that the district has distributed gas cards to families, supplied most CATA passes and routed the majority of requested Dean yellow-bus trips; officials said the supports have helped attendance, and winter NWA test results will be shared in February.
Superintendent-level staff on Jan. 9 told the Lansing Public School District board that transportation support programs intended to get students to school — gas cards, CATA passes and Dean yellow-bus routing — have reached most families who requested assistance and appear to be boosting attendance.
The superintendent said 2,422 families requested and received gas cards; 608 CATA passes were requested and 583 had been issued; and 3,585 students requested Dean yellow-bus service, of whom 3,371 had been routed (a gap of 214 students). The superintendent said some remaining routing differences reflect remote locations where adding a stop would add 20–30 minutes to a route.
Why it matters: District leaders said the travel supports reduce barriers to attendance and may have contributed to higher high-school attendance since the pandemic. Officials also cited secondary benefits: students with unlimited transit passes can use public transit for work or community access after school.
Board questions and follow-up
Trustees asked whether students using public transit are getting to school and staying in class. The superintendent said high-school attendance is “higher than it’s been since COVID” and suggested that backup transit options reduce excuses for missing school. The superintendent also noted the district worked with CATA to place bus stops on school property at some high schools and said public-safety staff supervise high-traffic transfer points when school dismisses.
Academic data and reporting schedule
The superintendent said students completed winter NWA testing in December and that the district expects to present winter NWA results to the board in February. Final graduation numbers for the prior year, the superintendent said, are expected from the state around February as well.
What the board will receive next
District staff said they will provide updated transportation numbers at the next meeting and will present winter NWA findings and other school-index information in the board’s February reporting cycle.
