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Pasco district studies changes to pickup, dismissal schedules to improve bus reliability

Pasco School Board of Directors · January 14, 2026
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Summary

District staff presented a high-level study of school pickup and dismissal scheduling aimed at improving routing efficiency and on-time performance amid bus-driver shortages; options include unifying early-release windows, zone reconfiguration and adjusted start/end times, with final proposals to be negotiated with labor partners this spring.

Assistant Superintendent Gopal briefed the board Jan. 13 on an ongoing district study of school pickup and dismissal schedules, routing and operational assumptions intended to improve transportation reliability and free bus capacity for after-school needs.

Gopal framed the report as a process update rather than a list of final proposals: the study has reviewed multiple schedule and routing scenarios, engaged principals and labor partners for feedback, and identified outdated routing assumptions the district can revisit. Potential strategies noted include adjusting pickup and dismissal times, unifying early-release windows K–12, rethinking east/west bus swings and creating new routing zones. The presenter emphasized that any change would require negotiations with labor representatives and careful analysis of equity, instructional minutes and operational feasibility.

Board members and student representatives raised practical concerns: how changes would affect after-school transportation for athletics and activities, potential cost implications, impacts on family schedules and childcare, and the importance of clear community communication. Gopal said the district expects to bring negotiated proposals to the board in the spring in time for the next school-year calendar discussions.

Next steps: the transportation department will continue stakeholder engagement, analyze ridership and route data (including where students are walking vs. riding), work with the finance office on cost estimates, and negotiate proposals with labor partners before returning to the board with recommended options.