By Ken Smith
Turnagain Times
High school students from Girdwood, Indian and Bird who are participating in extracurricular activities will no longer have to rely on their own means of transportation to get back home after school.
Last month, the Anchorage School District began providing bus transportation for students attending South High School.
During a public safety meeting held in Girdwood Aug. 7, parents of local high school students expressed their concern for their kids having to drive the Seward Highway, especially during winter nights.
The public comments lead to discussions by the Anchorage School Board and Anchorage School District Superintendent Carol Comeau on whether to provide a school bus for students of Turnagain Arm participating in extracurricular activities.
“The board approved my recommendations, which was Sept. 14,” Comeau said, “and we found money in our transportation budget since fuel has gone down.”
The total cost of operating the bus through the school year is estimated at $30,000, averaging about $120 to $150 per day. The bus leaves South High at 4:45 p.m.
Students grades 9-12 from Indian, Bird and Girdwood have all been using the bus, said Steve Kelmes, Director of Transportation Services for Anchorage public schools.
He said the average number of students using the bus has been around 12 with a maximum of 15 per trip. Three or four of the students are from Indian and Bird.
Currently there are a total of 65 students from Girdwood, Indian and Bird attending South High School. Of those students, between 50 to 55 students rely on the regular schedule school bus, which begins picking up students in Girdwood at 6:12 a.m. and leaves South High at 2:10 p.m.
The last time an after school bus was provided to Turnagain Arm students was in the early ‘90s when 30 to 35 students rode the bus to school. Since that time, students participating in extracurricular activities have had to arrange to be picked up or drive themselves.
“One of the reasons we discontinued the extracurricular bus before was because there was only three or four using the bus,” said Kelmes. “If numbers support it, we'll certainly look at continuing it next year.”
