Orcas School District to Cut Friday Bus Service

No Friday bus transportation beginning March 23

Orcas Island School District Superintendent/Principal Barbara Kline announced in a letter to parents and staff on Friday, March 9 that school bus service will be canceled one day a week, on Fridays, beginning March 23. Superintendent Kline’s letter follows:

The Orcas Island School District has been forced to cut approximately $120,000 from its current operating budget. This budget shortfall has been caused by a combination of factors including cuts to state funding, lower than predicted enrollment in some schools, and increased costs of operations. As part of these budget cuts the School Board has instructed the District administration to reduce our spending on transportation by reducing our bus service by one day per week.

Beginning, Friday March 23rd, we will not provide bus transportation to or from school on Fridays for the remainder of the school year.

We recognize that this reduction will have an impact on many of our families who rely on our bus drivers to get their students to and from school safely.  We are hoping that with some advance notice, families will be able to arrange car pooling to transport their students.

We appreciate all those that have donated to OIEF  (Orcas Island Education Foundation https://www.oief.org/ ) to support the school district and that positions have been restored thanks to the generosity of donors. Unfortunately the $6500 needed to avoid cuts to transportation has not been raised.

None of us want to make any of these cuts but we feel that the cuts are required in order to ensure that the district ends the year with a positive fund balance as we need to do.

My apologies for the difficulties this change in bus service  will cause families.