District 196 Is Cutting Magnet School Busing for 400 Students
TLDR
Magnet busing eliminated entirely for Echo Park, Oakidge, Apple Valley High School, and Valley Middle School of STEM.
Cedar Park and Glacier Hills get a north/south zone system — McAndrews Road is the divider.
About 400 students affected. Families can still attend magnet schools but must drive themselves.
Board approved it 6-0 at the April 13 meeting.
If your kid rides a bus to a District 196 magnet school from outside the attendance area, you need to know about this.
At Monday night’s school board meeting, the board voted 6-0 to make major cuts to magnet school transportation. It’s part of a bigger push to stabilize a busing system that’s been plagued by driver shortages and route cancellations all year.
Which Schools Are Affected?
Four schools lose all magnet transportation: Echo Park Elementary (44 magnet students, about 7% of enrollment), Oakidge Elementary (88 magnet students, 17%), Valley Middle School of STEM (about 13% magnet riders), and Apple Valley High School (6% magnet riders). Between the middle and high school alone, 137 students were signed up for shuttle buses — but actual daily ridership was just 18 at Apple Valley and 31 at Valley Middle.
Cedar Park and Glacier Hills Elementary get a different treatment. Instead of losing all magnet busing, they’re switching to a zone system. McAndrews Road is the dividing line. Live south of McAndrews? You can get a bus to Cedar Park. Live north? You can get a bus to Glacier Hills. Live in the wrong zone for your school? You’re driving.
The zone changes affect up to 50 students at Cedar Park and about 90 at Glacier Hills.
Why These Two Schools Keep Some Busing
Cedar Park is the district’s only school labeled as “racially identifiable” by the state. Nearly half its students are magnet students. Eliminating all busing could cost the school 40% of its enrollment and throw racial balance out of whack.
Glacier Hills has a tiny attendance area. Without magnet busing, it would lose about 250-300 students and would itself become racially identifiable. The zone system keeps both schools stable while cutting the long cross-district routes that were burning through driver hours.
What Parents Said
Several families spoke at the meeting. One single mother shared that her African-American and Native American daughter had lost her father in April 2025. The school’s support system — teachers, classmates, other parents — has been critical to her daughter’s stability. Losing the bus would likely mean changing schools.
Another parent, an educator himself, called the timeline unworkable. He estimated his family would face $13,000 in additional childcare costs per year and two extra hours of driving daily. He asked the board to pause the decision until families had realistic alternatives.
The board acknowledged the hardship but pointed to the broader transportation crisis. At its peak this winter, bus cancellations affected up to 1,000-4,000 students per day. The magnet routes were identified as the biggest source of routing complexity.
What Happens Next
The district knows exactly which families are affected and will send personalized communications with options. Those options include providing your own transportation, transferring to your neighborhood school, or potentially applying to a different magnet school within your zone.
The district’s elementary education team will hold weekly meetings to work through individual family situations. Board Chair Corey Johnson specifically asked the district to provide “white glove service” for families with the hardest circumstances.
The academic programs at every magnet school are staying exactly the same. This is purely a transportation change.
The Bottom Line
If you’re a magnet school family getting busing from outside the attendance area, you’ll hear from the district soon about your specific situation. Start thinking about backup plans now — whether that’s carpooling, switching schools, or adjusting work schedules. The intradistrict transfer deadline has passed, but the district said it’ll reopen options for affected families.
FAQ
Is the district getting rid of magnet schools?
No. The academic programs stay exactly the same. Only the busing is changing.
Can my kid still attend if I drive them?
Yes. If you can provide your own transportation, your child can keep attending their current magnet school.
What if I live in the wrong zone for Cedar Park or Glacier Hills?
You’d need to provide your own transportation, transfer to the magnet school in your zone, or return to your neighborhood school.
Why can’t the district just phase this in over a few years?
The transportation team said phasing would require rerouting the system twice — once now and again next year. That’s not sustainable with current staffing levels.
Who do I contact about my family’s situation?
The district’s elementary education office will reach out directly. You can also call transportation at 651-423-7685.
