Tag: Apple Bus

Changing times for schools in Southern Peninsula

Plan ahead

In August, 2017,  with the start of the new school year, ten school locations in the southern peninsula will begin with new school start and end times. This change is taking place to accommodate a switch from single-tier to double-tier bus transportation, which is already in effect for other schools throughout the KPBSD. No changes will take place in the 2016-2017 school year.
New School Times beginning August 22, 2017:
KPBSD so pen school start and end times FINAL
Bus transportation
Important transportation clarifications taking effect with the change to two-tier busing in the southern peninsula include:

  • KPBSD transportation routing will only be from home-to-school, and school-to-home.
  • Some situations in which out-of-area transportation is provided for students to attend a school outside their attendance area currently exist, and will not be available beginning with the 2017-2018 school year.
  • Parents may continue to have a child attend an out of area school through the Out-of-Area Attendance Request process (see E 5116(a)) but KPBSD will no longer provide bus transportation if a bus serving another school was available.
  • Bus routing and schedules will be updated in the summer of 2017, and available on the KPBSD website, at the same time as districtwide school routes are posted.

A series of community meetings took place throughout 2016, with parents, KPBSD staff, students, and community members in attendance. School administrators met, and worked together to create the new school start and end times. If you have questions about specific schools, please contact the school principal with your questions.
Southern Peninsula principals continue to meet together and work with community service providers to discuss after school childcare, recreation, and structured activity options to accommodate family needs for the 2017-2018 school year.
Changes will take place at southern peninsula schools served by bus transportation and include:
Chapman School
Fireweed Academy
Homer Flex School
Homer High School
Homer Middle School
McNeil Canyon Elementary
Ninilchik School
Paul Banks Elementary
West Homer Elementary
Links:

If you have questions about specific schools, please contact the school principal with your questions.

Changing school start and end times : community meetings

News ReleaseKPBSD logo 4c no tag SMALL
School start and end times will change in southern peninsula schools served by bus transportation

Soldotna, September 14, 2016—Changes are coming next year, and in order to inform and gather input, three southern peninsula community meetings will take place in September. Discussion centers around the necessary adjustments to school start and end times, modification of bus schedules, and additional implications because of these changes. Parents, KPBSD staff, students, and community members are invited and encouraged to attend a community meeting:

  • Homer area: Monday, September 19, 2016, 6:00 PM, Homer High School

     

  • Ninilchik area: Tuesday, September 20, 2016, 6:00 PM, Ninilchik School

     

  • Anchor Point area: Thursday, September 22, 2016, 6:30 PM, Chapman School

When the school board awarded a ten year transportation contract to Apple Bus, and also approved a change from the current single tier busing to double tier (or two-tier) busing starting in August, 2017, the ramification is that to implement two-tier busing, school start times will need to stagger in order for buses to serve two routes every day. Running two tier busing requires a minimum of 60 minutes between the first and second bus run schedules.
Changes will take place at southern peninsula schools served by bus transportation and include:
Chapman School
Fireweed Academy
Homer Flex School
Homer High School
Homer Middle School
McNeil Canyon Elementary
Nikolaevsk School
Ninilchik School
Paul Banks Elementary
West Homer Elementary
Two-tier busing throughout the rest of the school district has been in place for many years. Southern peninsula schools will collaborate to select new school start and end times.
Next steps
After these preliminary community meetings, school principals will work with district administrators to analyze the input and feedback, then propose school start and end times and create draft bus schedules. Follow up school-based or area meetings may be scheduled, if needed. The district intends to finalize changes for the 2017-2018 school year by early spring, 2017.
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
Contact: Pegge Erkeneff, communications liaison, 907.714.8888
September 14, 2016 News Release
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