OPINION: MORE BUSSES ARE NEEDED FOR REDMOND HIGH SCHOOL

"New Walk Area Boundary" is in blue. (Click to enlarge)

MORE BUSSES ARE NEEDED AT REDMOND HIGH SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS WHO WALK MORE THAN ONE MILE TO SCHOOL 

By Susan Wilkins
Redmond, WA. 

When Redmond High School opened this September with 2000 students and staff, only 8 busses were provided for the entire school – enough seats for about 400 students to ride to and from school. 

In September, 500 additional ninth graders arrived at Redmond High as part of the 9-12 grade conversion. The brand new 14-classroom south wing and auxiliary gym were also opened for the first time.  Redmond High School is now one of the largest high schools in Washington State with almost 2000 students and 160 teachers and staff.  Before final construction plans were approved by the Redmond City Council, the project went through a series of reviews and hearings where such issues as severe traffic back-ups, noise, overcrowding in the halls and lunchroom, and even inadequate locker counts were considered. 

A major issue that was raised with the city Hearing Examiner in May 2011 and at the final approval hearing held by Redmond City Council in July 2011 was the change in state law (28A.160.160 RCW) that would allow school districts to be reimbursed by the state for transporting students who had to walk more than a mile to school. Prior to the change in the law, funding for school bus transportation had been limited to students who lived outside a 1-mile radius from the school meaning that many students who had long walks to school because of steep slopes, winding roads and other geographic features were not provided bus service and instead ended up driving or being driven to school.   The State Legislature amended the 1-mile radius requirement and instead created the definition of a “1-mile walk route” meaning that any student who had to walk more than 1 mile to school would be eligible for state transportation funding.   

Under the 1-mile radius rule, students living along Avondale Road, 166^th Avenue NE and on the north and south sides of the NE 116^th Street corridor were not eligible for school bus transportation even though most would have walked 2 to 3 miles to get to school by following the existing roadways.  With the creation of the “1-mile walk area” hundreds of RHS students became eligible for bus transportation funding from the state.  The catch is that although the state will provide funding, the local school districts are not required to provide bus transportation except to students with special needs. 

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The Hearing Examiner was asked to add as a condition of approval that the school district be required to provide additional bus bus service for students who were eligible under the “1-mile walk route” designation. The city Hearing Examiner noted that RCW 28A.160.160 didn’t take effect until September 1, 2011, (and it was still May 2011) so she couldn’t even consider making it a condition of approval.  The Redmond City Council considered the RHS Building Permit on July 26, 2011 and were asked to deny the building permit until after September 1, 2011 so that they could consider asking the school district to offer bus transportation to students outside the 1-mile walk route who had previously been ineligible for busing.  The additional bussing could have been used to mitigate the terrible traffic jams that were already occurring at the high school.  Only Councilman Richard Cole voted against the Redmond High School Expansion Project noting that traffic was so bad that he avoided the area around the high school.  The rest of the City Council voted for the project and it was approved.   

The Lake Washington School District Transportation Department has 85 full size buses and 57 small buses in its fleet.  When Redmond High School opened this September with 2000 students and staff, only 8 busses were provided for the entire school  – enough seats for about 400 students to ride to and from school.  Without adequate bussing options most students either drive themselves to school or get dropped off.   Traffic on NE 104^th Street crawls and backs up onto the surrounding roads each morning and afternoon.  Parent Curriculum Night at RHS on September 19 flooded all the surrounding parking lots and side streets with cars.  If this were a Walmart or Costco, would the building permit have been approved without better traffic flow, more parking and adequate bussing?  Why is the Lake Washington School District allowed to trash the neighborhood daily with its hideous traffic jams?  

The school district needs to provide transportation to students who have to walk more than 1 mile to school.  They should either add bus routes using district busses or they should provide Metro bus passes to students and work with Metro to coordinate bus scheduling and routing.  There is no reasonable explanation for the lack of adequate bus transportation to Redmond High School.

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***OLD***

RCW 28A.160.160  Student transportation allocation — Definitions. (Effective until September 1, 2011.) 

     (1) "Eligible student" means any student served by the transportation program of a school district … whose route stop is more than one radius mile from the student's school, … 

***NEW***

RCW 28A.160.160   Student transportation allocation — Definitions.

(Effective September 1, 2011.)

     (1) "Eligible student" means any student served by the transportation program of a school district … whose route stop is outside the walk area for a student's school, … 

     (5) As used in this section, "walk area" means that area around a school with an adequate roadway configuration to provide students access to school with a walking distance of less than one mile. Mileage must be measured along the shortest roadway or maintained public walkway where hazardous conditions do not exist.  

By Susan Wilkins
Parent and PTSA volunteeer for LWSD
Redmond, WA.

This presentation was delivered to Sup. Traci Pierce and Forest Miller, Dir. of Facilities and Transportation, the School Board and Mayor.  BY