Fort Wayne Community Schools’ students and parents can expect fewer bus routes and changing school hours starting in the fall.
The district has to account for a $2.5 million gap in its transportation budget. Transportation is supported by property taxes, but in 2009, the state set a cap on how much could be collected.
Krista Stockman with the district says FWCS knew changes were inevitable, but held off on making them as long as they could.
“The whole idea of tax caps was to pay less in taxes. And if you’re paying less then you can’t sustain the same level of services," says Stockman. "So they’re doing what they intended to do, it’s just now people are really starting to feel it.”
Starting in the fall of 2015, the district will enforce the existing rule of “no transportation zones,” meaning students within close proximity of their schools won’t be offered transportation. Neither will students who choose to attend a school they aren’t zoned for.
School hours are also changing. Middle schools will start at 7:20, elementary schools at 8:20, and high schools at 9 a.m.
The public is invited to attend informational sessions about the changes:
January 8 - Wayne High School, 9100 Winchester Road
January 13 - South Side High School, 3601 S. Calhoun St.
January 14 - Northrop High School, 7001 Coldwater Road
FWCS Transportation hotline: 467-1907.
All meetings begin at 6 p.m.