DCG officials preview changes to bus eligibility as area development could shift hundreds off routes

Transportation Director Jeff Wolf told the Dallas Center‑Grimes Community School District board that development in Grimes could push hundreds of students out of the district’s free‑ride zones under current rules and that the district will present a formal policy recommendation next year.

Wolf summarized the district’s existing rules: for K–4 the walk zone is 1 mile, grades 5–8 is 2 miles and the high‑school walk zone is 3 miles. He said the district distinguishes walk‑zone measurements by road distance, not line‑of‑sight or sidewalks, and that exceptions apply for students with disabilities and where no safe walking path exists.

“Walk zone is an area around each school where bus service is not available,” Wolf said, describing the three‑tier system. He said the pay‑to‑ride service (introduced in 2019) currently uses three dedicated buses and serves roughly 205 families; approximately 1,485 students currently ride in the free zone.

Wolf showed board members how development could change eligibility at Oak View: “Given current numbers, if development reached those buildings now, about 150 Oak View kids would move from the free zone to the walk zone,” he said, which would remove them from free service under the present policy. He added that at the high school a similar development scenario could move about 190 students into the walk zone and eliminate busing from Grimes to the high school except for a far northeast corner.

The district previewed one alternative it may present next year: adopt the elementary structure for all buildings (1‑mile walk zone, 1–2 mile pay zone, 2+‑mile free zone). Under that model, Wolf said, the district would likely cut roughly one route and could save about $150,000 per year under current policy assumptions while shifting some riders to paid service. He emphasized the timeline: any change tied to development likely would not affect families for two to four years.

Board members asked several operational questions. Wolf said Dallas Center students would continue to qualify for free service under current distances. On safe walking paths he said the district does not treat temporary or unstable sidewalks as qualifying safe paths and that crossings of high‑speed highways (e.g., Highway 44 or 169) are not permitted for unsupervised students; he said crossing‑guard or infrastructure changes would be considered in future walk‑zone evaluations.

Wolf also described route‑planning technology: the district has routing software that improves efficiency and triages student assignments; next‑year proposals include bus tablets for student scan in/out, GPS tracking and parent notifications. Board members expressed support for safety‑first changes and asked staff to keep affected families informed well in advance.

The presentation was informational only; no policy vote was held. Officials said a formal recommendation and possible public comment opportunities would come next year.