Williston Basin School District #7 Has New Transportation Options
Sponsored by: Williston Basin School District #7
For students who attend one of the 13 schools in Williston Basin School District #7 (WBSD) in Williston, ND, transportation will be more readily available for the 2023-24 school year, thanks to a new partnership between the District and Harlows Transportation.
“The vision of WBSD #7 moving forward is to provide transportation to all students kindergarten through 12th grade,” says Dr. Richard Faidley, superintendent of schools.
“Currently, we provide transportation for students who live in rural areas and attend our rural schools, and for those who have disabilities,” Faidley adds. “But with over 5,000 students, that’s not nearly enough.”
The partnership with Harlows Transportation will add four bus routes for the 2023-2024 school year. This will increase the total number of routes from 13 to 17.
“Our hope is to eventually be able to offer free transportation to all students who need it,” Faidley says.
Transportation Improves Student Attendance
Improving student attendance is a primary focus for Williston Basin School District #7. The effort came as a way to help solve the long-standing challenges with student attendance.
“Approximately 34% of our students don’t achieve our attendance rate goal of 75% or more,” says Coordinator of Social Workers Allison Stensland. “Data shows that students who regularly miss school in their primary grades (kindergarten through third) are less likely to read proficiently by the end of third grade, and by sixth grade, chronic absenteeism is a leading indicator that the student will drop out of high school. Our district vision is to provide more opportunities to students to get to school on time, especially in those early years, and help them succeed.”
Faidley adds that Williston doesn’t have a public transportation system. This is challenging for families who may not have access to a vehicle, who then must pay for ride-share services to get their children to school on time.
“I believe transportation should be provided to every student in our district who needs it,” says Faidley. “Figuring out how to get a student to or from school is an unnecessary burden for our families. I am excited we’re taking the first step to making our vision of transportation for all a reality.”
Learn more about the school district and its plans at willistonschools.org.