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Board acts on emergency childcare transportation and directs afternoon service to Apple Tree; explores morning options
Summary
After Apple Tree Learning Center reported water damage and a move that threatened licensed childcare for local families, the board directed transportation staff to begin afternoon transport to Apple Tree next Monday and to seek short-term morning solutions and committee follow-up.
The board directed transportation staff to implement an immediate, limited after‑school transportation arrangement to Apple Tree Learning Center for the remainder of the school year and tasked the transportation committee and staff to work out morning pickup options.
Tiffany Soderman, executive director of Apple Tree Learning Center, told the board the center’s move and recent water damage left families with no local licensed childcare and that the district’s policy of not busing across elementary attendance boundaries would force some families to leave the district. "We are being told to send our kids outside of the district to childcare centers because we will bus there," Soderman said, urging the board to help keep young children in local care.
Transportation director Bob Boss explained operational barriers: buses do not cross attendance-boundary lines to transport elementary students and bus schedules mean a dedicated morning run would likely make affected students late for school. He estimated that dedicating a bus for a full year would cost roughly $19,000, but said the principal logistical obstacle was driver availability and morning schedule constraints. Afternoon transport is more feasible because existing routes pass near the center.
The board made and seconded a motion to transfer after‑school slots to Apple Tree for the remainder of the year, with implementation to start next Monday; the motion passed. Several board members also asked the superintendent and transportation director to pursue short-term morning solutions (including a Suburban or volunteer driver) and to report back to the transportation committee next week.
Board members recognized potential concerns from other child-care providers but framed the action as an emergency response to a sudden loss of capacity. "This is an emergency," one board member said. The board requested that administration coordinate details with families and Apple Tree and provide an update at the next meeting.
