DPS Returns with New Express-Stop Plan
Ahead of an April 9 work session, Durham Public Schools is again pitching express-stop transportation for magnet students - and reopening a familiar debate over reliability, access, and how much of the burden falls on families.
Wes Platt
Durham Public Schools is again considering a shift to express-stop transportation for secondary magnet students, bringing back a proposal that previously drew strong opposition from families who said it would make getting to school harder, not easier.
The issue is set for discussion at the school board’s April 9 work session. Under the current plan, DPS would start in 2026-27 with Durham School of the Arts and Brogden Middle School, then expand the express-stop model to all other secondary magnet programs in 2027-28. District materials say about 770 students and families would be affected in the first year.
District staff say the proposal is meant to make magnet transportation more consistent, improve on-time arrivals, reduce route times and cut costs. They also argue it would help the broader transportation system by freeing up time and labor now tied up on long magnet routes.
That's the district’s case for the change.
The question many families are likely to bring back to the board is a simpler one: if parents have to drive students to a central hub and pick them up there later, is DPS improving bus service or shifting more of the work onto families?
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