The wheels on the bus...

Student transportation is an important service that school districts offer to families. Some districts in the state of Minnesota operate their own transportation services while others contract for their services. The New London-Spicer School District contracts with Palmer Bus Service out of Mankato, MN. 

Our current scope of services with Palmer Bus Service currently includes the following:

• Palmer Bus Service provides student transportation services within our geographical boundaries or as otherwise designated for students in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 including:
• regular routes approved by the District for one round trip per school day to and from the school, including out-of-district stops for open-enrolled students as authorized by the district.
• special needs transportation for students on an Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
• field, athletics, and activities trips as authorized by the District, and
• other services as needed and authorized by the District, including but not limited to between schools and education sites, late afternoon, and midday busing.
• Regular to and from route times for resident students will not exceed sixty (60) minutes each morning and afternoon. Routing is the responsibility of the service provider subject to the superintendent's approval.

The New London-Spicer School District is unique in that it is surrounded by "hazardous crossings" including State Highway 9 and County Road 40. As a result, transportation to and from school is offered to all resident students. In most cases throughout the state, school districts offer transportation to only those students who live outside a one to two-mile distance from the school building in which they attend. Families living within that distance can choose to have their children walk to school or seek alternative transportation options. Our district's current transportation arrangement is a nice amenity for our students and families.

We believe it is in the best interest of our students and families to keep bus route times under sixty (60) minutes as much as possible. As a result of the referendum not passing in the fall of 2020, the school district made the difficult decision to eliminate one bus route which caused several bus routes to exceed sixty (60) minutes. Due to the referendum passing this past fall, we'll be adding the route back which will decrease the amount of time our students are on the bus during normal route times.

Another strategy in reducing the amount of time students are on the bus is to add neutral bus stop locations when conducting stops within the premises of a city. This strategy is utilized in most school districts and will continue to be developed and improved here in the New London-Spicer School District.

Although the New London-Spicer School District contracts for transportation services, we are responsible for the safety of our students and that remains our number one priority. Should you have transportation questions or concerns, they first should be addressed by calling the New London-Spicer Palmer Transportation Hub at 320.354.2414. If you need to further address those questions or concerns, you can communicate directly with your child's building principal who will determine the next steps. If the issue is not related to a child and is a community concern, those can be communicated directly to me by calling 320.354.2252 or via email at AdamsW@nls.k12.mn.us.