Welcome

Thank you for visiting this website dedicated to providing families with information relative to bus stop changes for the 2009-2010 school year.

Last school year, a committee of staff and parents met to analyze and set parameters for district bus stops. All parents were invited to participate in the committee via a letter that was sent home with their child. A total of 15 parents volunteered, amounting to 45% of the committee. Once the guidelines were established, the district bus stops were realigned to improve efficiencies and provide equity with regard to distances children walk to their stops.

Illinois state law mandates that students be bused to school when they live further than 1.5 miles from school.

The new bus stop guidelines concerning distances students walk to the stops are as follows:

A total of 30% of our bus stops were consolidated in an effort to decrease the amount of time students rode the bus while also creating a more direct route to school. The benefits of the new guidelines and realigned bus stops are numerous and include over 40 percent more of Elementary students loading at 3:25 p.m., an average decrease of 5 minutes for the Middle School route at a cost savings to the district of approximately $30,000.

The information on this website includes frequently asked questions about the bus stop changes, documents the district references from the Illinois Department of Transportation and ways to contact the Transportation Department in the event that you have a question regarding your child’s bus stop. Due to the high volume of calls we are receiving we seek your patience. Please expect a response within 24 hours.

We understand a change of this nature may cause frustration for some families who must now become familiar with a new bus stop and readjust their schedules in preparation for the new school year. Please know that we value the input we’ve received thus far from families who have expressed concerns about their specific bus stops. We are addressing each concern and working to maintain a safe, efficient environment for the students that ride our school buses here at Woodland District 50.

Parents are invited to attend a one-hour informal meeting at the Middle School's Learning Resource Center on Wednesday, September 2 at 6:30 p.m. The intent of this meeting is to discuss the recent consolidation of several bus stops in district. It is our hope that we can work together to have open dialogue and to discuss concerns that evening. Please contact Jennifer Bova with the Public Information Department at (847) 596-5604 or via e-mail at jbova@dist50.net if you plan to attend the meeting.