Coupeville School District Seeks Public Input on New Bus Routes

Some Coupeville students rode buses for more than an hour on routes that, under ideal conditions, should take 56 minutes. That gap between scheduled time and real-world commutes pushed the Coupeville School District to open a public survey earlier this month, asking families to weigh in before it restructures bell times and bus routes for the 2026-27 school year.

The survey closed March 20, but the problem it documented remains. Transportation Supervisor and Driver Trainer Robert Wallace identified the core issue plainly: the time allotted between school bells for buses to complete their routes is less than the time it actually takes to run those routes. On the district's longest run, the two farthest bus stops sit 42 miles round trip from the schools they serve. In good conditions, that circuit takes 56 minutes. Spread across 13 bus stops, with weather, traffic, and ordinary day-to-day variables in the mix, the same commute can stretch upward of 65 minutes, Wallace explained.

The district serves over 600 students through a fleet of five buses running five routes daily. A sixth bus handles McKinney-Vento and special education students, and a specialized van serves students whose Individualized Education Programs require it.

Families with children at different school levels, students facing difficulties with schedule changes, and households relying on before and after care were specifically urged to take the five-minute survey, according to the district's Facebook page. Responses could be submitted online through that same Facebook page or in person via paper survey at the district office at 501 S. Main in Coupeville.

What the district does with the results, including whether bell times shift or routes get redrawn, has not yet been announced. The survey was the first step in a process that now moves into the district's hands ahead of the 2026-27 school year.