Bus transfer point changes

Oct. 13, 2006

By Michael Rovito

Frontiersman

PALMER - In the wake of a bus suspension last week for Burchell High School students, the Mat-Su School District will no longer use Wasilla High School as a transfer point for the alternative school's students.

The new plan, which already is in action, makes Iditarod Elementary School the new morning transfer point for Burchell students.

Now, instead of getting off one bus to wait for the transfer bus at Wasilla High School, Burchell students remain on their bus until they arrive at Iditarod - after Wasilla students have been dropped off. The bus transfer takes place at Iditarod.

In the afternoon, students will be picked up at Burchell, ride the bus to Wasilla where WHS students will board, and then ride home, according to Assistant Superintendent George Troxel.

Troxel said the plan is something principals from both Wasilla and Burchell agreed to, along with transportation officials and other administrators.

The new routes, Troxel said, may serve to prevent problems before they start.

&#8220Anytime you introduce

students from another campus onto a school campus it's a problematic situation,” Troxel said.

A bus that runs between Wasilla High School and Burchell was suspended last week in response to consistent behavior problems from a group of students - including smoking on the bus, insubordination and roaming Wasilla's building when told not to.

Officials from both schools met Oct. 6 to discuss a solution in an effort to alleviate future problems.

From that meeting, the new transfer plan became reality, with Burchell students under the new rules starting Oct. 10.

&#8220It worked really well,” Burchell principal Dave Holmquist said.

&#8220I've always thought it'd be good not having the transfer site at Wasilla.”

Dwight Probasco, the principal of Wasilla, said last Friday's meeting became a great chance to solve a problem instead of delaying a solution.

&#8220I think it was tough for the adults involved to say ‘do a 10-day suspension and if anything goes bad again suspend for a month,'” Probasco said, adding that changing the transfer point came from focusing on a solution instead of the negative. &#8220From kind of a bad deal, a new, positive thing came out of it.”

Burchell is an alternative style high school for grades nine to 12 located near the Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Complex.

The school is the only one in the district to offer a complete, nighttime high school curriculum for students who cannot attend school during the day.

Contact Michael Rovito at 352-2252 or michael.rovito@

frontiersman.com.