Parents urge Poway Unified to restore Sabre Springs bus routes; trustee‑candidate asks board to delay superintendent hire until after election

Several members of the public used the board’s public comment period on Aug. 15 to press the Poway Unified School District on transportation and hiring timing.

Tim Dougherty, speaking as a candidate for the Area A trustee seat, urged the board to delay final interviews and the superintendent selection until after the Oct. 7 election so newly elected board members can have a say in the long‑term appointment. "I strongly urge you to reconsider this timing," he said, arguing that waiting until December or January would allow voters’ choices to be represented and would demonstrate “a commitment to transparency and respect for the democratic process.”

Multiple speakers also raised concerns about bus service reductions that they said have left neighborhoods in Sabre Springs without routes to Meadowbrook Middle and other schools. A resident identifying himself as Federico told the board that district policy measures distance by a 2.5‑mile radius "as the crow flies," while geographic barriers—specifically a mountain between Sabre Springs and Meadowbrook—make the walk far longer and more hazardous. "The true distance between us and middle school is closer to about 4 miles," he said, urging the board to change how distances are calculated for transportation eligibility.

Andrew Weil, who said he has two children in PUSD, described receiving an email notifying him that his children now fall outside the district’s bus boundary after a transportable‑boundary adjustment and said one child would face an unsafe route across a freeway. "This puts me in quite the hardship," he told trustees and asked the district to reinstate routes serving neighborhoods west of Van Dam Peak.

Board staff acknowledged the concerns and later addressed procurement and program questions raised during public comment. The public comments on transport came during a broader meeting that included itemized staff updates; board members and staff did not take an immediate formal policy vote on transportation at the Aug. 15 meeting.

What’s next: The comments were recorded publicly and staff said they would continue to engage with the speakers and the public; any formal change to transportation policy or routing would require administrative action and/or future board consideration.