The Kenai Peninsula School District is holding three southern peninsula community meetings the week of Sept. 19 to facilitate discussion about changes brought about the new two-tier bus schedule in the 2017-2018 school year. Parents, KPBSD staff, students and community members are encouraged to attend.

The meeting in Homer will take place on Monday, Sept. 19 at Homer High School. The exact location of the meeting has not yet been determined and will be posted on the front doors of the school to direct attendees as they walk in, said KPBSD Communications Liaison Pegge Erkeneff. Meetings will also be held at Ninilchik School on Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 6 p.m. and at Champman School on Thursday, Sept. 22 at 6:30 p.m.

The meeting will center around adjustments to school start and end times, modification of bus schedules and additional issues surrounding these changes. The district’s goal is to collect input at the preliminary meetings so that school principals can work with district administrators to propose school start and end times and create draft bus schedules, according to a Sept. 14 KPBSD press release. The district intends to finalizes these changes by early spring 2017, so follow up meetings may be scheduled, if necessary.

Schools served by bus transportation will be affected by the two-tier bus schedule approved by the school board, which requires schools to stagger their start and end times so buses can serve two routes. Those schools include Chapman School, Fireweed Academy, Homer Flex School, Homer High School, Homer Middle School, McNeil Canyon Elementary, Nikolaevsk School, Ninilchik School, Paul Banks Elementary and West Homer Elementary.

Anna Frost can be reached at anna.frost@homernews.com.