District 39 Adds Penalty For Late Bus Registrations

Wilmette School District 39 has been more aggressive this year in encouraging families to sign their children up for next year’s bus service and the results have shown in a greater number signing up on time.

The more aggressive campaign includes includes bumping the deadline up a month, instituting late fee, ensuring bus stops are within two blocks of all district homes and requiring those who register after the final deadline to be put on a waiting list, according to the Wilmette Life.

District Superintendent Raymond Lechner said during a recent meeting that the new rules have led to 89 percent of expected signups already booked. The usual number as of August 1 is somewhere around 75 percent.

Strategies enacted to help avoid the late-signup problem evidenced in years past include charging an extra $100 for those who register between June 12 and July 1, as those who sign up before June 12 were only charged $495 for round-trip registrations.

The district also made July 1 the final registration deadline, instead of August 1. Families registering after that will have their students put on a waiting list, pending availability on their routes.

more via the Wilmette Life