Caswell board adopts tiered busing, sets new 2026–27 school start times

The Caswell County Schools Board of Education voted to adopt a tiered busing schedule for the 2026–27 school year intended to improve transportation efficiency and support the temporary relocation of Oakwood students during construction.

Superintendent (speaking as “Superintendent”) told trustees the plan staggers routes so buses can serve multiple grade levels and routes while maintaining safety and reliability. "Elementary drop off time, 07:50. School starts at 08:30," the superintendent said, adding that middle schools would start at 07:30 and high schools at 07:45.

The proposal also creates a community bus stop at the civic center to give families who would otherwise drive to South Elementary an option to board a bus. "The community stop will be located to ensure student safety at the civic center," the superintendent said, describing loading times from 07:50 to 08:00.

Board members asked about before- and after-school care and how the community stop would operate. "Before school care will operate 1 hour prior to the drop off time," the superintendent said, confirming programs would open one hour earlier at elementary sites. A board member noted the earlier 07:50 drop-off had previously worked well and expressed support: "we got no complaints," the board member said.

A motion to adopt the superintendent's recommendation was moved by a board member and seconded; trustees voted in favor and the motion carried.

The board did not adopt alternate funding or operational changes tied to the busing motion during the meeting. Next steps include implementation planning by transportation staff and communicating stop locations and schedules to families before the start of the school year.