Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Boundaries topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Pasco School District considers fast boundary tweaks to avoid new busing and ease overcrowding at Columbia River
Summary
Trustees discussed reassigning a few unoccupied neighborhood pockets to nearby schools this summer so new residents’ children would walk instead of being bused to overcrowded Columbia River; Superintendent Whitney said changes for areas without enrolled students could proceed quickly while inhabited neighborhoods need a yearlong runway.
Trustees of the Pasco School District discussed shifting attendance boundaries for a handful of uninhabited neighborhood pockets so children who move in this summer would walk to closer schools rather than be bused to an already overcrowded Columbia River.
Superintendent Whitney urged the board to act quickly on areas that currently have no enrolled students, saying the district "could probably turn that around pretty quickly" for unoccupied parcels but would need a longer, year-long process if families already attend a school that would be moved. The superintendent warned that Columbia River is "overcrowded already by 50," and said relying on portable classrooms funded in the past by impact fees is no longer a stable option.
Why it matters: the district’s recent capital-fee changes mean it no longer receives impact fees except from multifamily developments, shrinking the pool previously used to move portables and maintain temporary capacity. Whitney said that makes it fiscally irresponsible to spend the million-dollar range to add portables at Columbia River when nearby schools have space and students could walk, and that changing boundaries now for uninhabited areas would reduce unnecessary busing and expense.
Board member Franklin raised the immediate operational trigger: "as soon as 1 student enrolls in Pasco School District in that neighborhood, we will have to provide a new bus route to take that kid to Columbia River that is overcrowded," noting two small blocks currently have residents but no enrollments. Staff and trustees pulled up the district boundary map during the meeting; map colors discussed included purple for Franklin, light blue for McClintock and green for Columbia River.
Trustees discussed legal busing distances and safety: staff and members referenced walking-distance thresholds (one mile versus 1.5 miles depending on grade level) and said busing is required only when walking routes are unsafe. Trustees noted sidewalks exist in the contested pockets but that Burns Road is semi-busy and may require a crossing guard if students walk there.
Several trustees favored designating uninhabited lots to the nearest elementary school now and deferring more complex shifts of existing neighborhoods to a phased, year-long plan to avoid moving students midyear. One trustee suggested offering existing families a choice and phasing new enrollments into the new boundary over time, a method the district has used historically when adjusting schools.
The board asked staff to bring the boundary item back on a future regular meeting or study session agenda and requested enrollment trend data to inform decisions; staff agreed to provide longitudinal figures. No formal motion or vote was taken during the discussion.
Next steps: the boundary-change proposal will be placed on a future agenda for further study and timeline-setting; staff will supply trend data and a boundary map for the board’s review.
