Next school year, Durham Public Schools will shift some pickups for about 770 students at Durham School of the Arts and Brogden Middle School's dual-language program from neighborhood routes to schools or other DPS sites up to 10 miles from home.
District administrators told the school board Thursday the change is meant to get students to class on time while cutting fuel and maintenance costs. Anthony White, DPS executive director of auxiliary services, said the new setup would cut daily stops on DSA routes from 563 to 71 and save more than $50,000 a year in fuel.
The plan revisits a transportation idea the board dropped in January 2025 after parent backlash. That broader proposal included DSA, Rogers-Herr Middle School, and the School for Creative Studies. Around the same time, the board approved family responsibility zones for elementary schools, ending bus service within 1.5 miles of 21 campuses and affecting about 750 students.
- The new express-stop pilot applies only to DSA and Brogden's dual-language immersion program for 2026-27.
- Exceptional children would still get transportation required by their Individualized Education Plans, White said.
- Families seeking a different stop can submit an online hardship waiver, and DPS said it expects a 10-day turnaround on appeals.
Board members backed the pilot, but not without concerns. Board Chair Bettina Umstead said many families applied to magnet schools before the shift was presented publicly, and the magnet application window closed Jan. 30. Deborah Pitman, assistant superintendent of specialized services, said accepting a magnet seat for next school year is binding, though families can appeal their bussing situation.
DPS said it may extend express stops to all secondary magnet schools the following year, depending on data and feedback from DSA and Brogden families.