On Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, Plumas Unified School District sent an email to parents and staff announcing that school transportation services would be reduced to one route per community both to and from school. The communities impacted were listed as Quincy/Cromberg/Meadow Valley, Indian Valley and Graeagle/Delleker/Portola. Chester area and special education transportation bus routes will remain the same. The changes are scheduled to take effect Monday, Jan. 5, as students return to school after the winter break. New routes and schedules are provided in full at the end of this article.
Although this midyear decision came as a surprise to many parents, the first interim financial report for the 2025-2026 school year identified the elimination of the transportation department as a possible $3 million cost-saving measure for the district, which needs to cut $9.5 million (about 22%) from its budget.
The personnel report approved at the Dec. 17 regular school board meeting noted that Kyle Bakker, interim transportation supervisor, had resigned effective Nov. 11. Also on the same personnel report, the district extended a job offer for a mechanic in the maintenance department Dec. 1.
“Transportation has been a continuous struggle for PUSD,” Richard DuVarney, state-appointed county administrator, told The Plumas Sun in an email, writing on behalf of PUSD. The district has been unable to fill bus driver and mechanic positions, in addition to the loss of the transportation supervisor and the interim replacement.
“With the help of our current employees in the department we have been able to come up with a plan to provide one route per community to hopefully make it through the second half of the year. We want to thank our families for their patience through this,” DuVarney said.
In response to the district’s Dec. 30 email, parents and guardians took to social media to express their frustrations, as well as offer solutions. Frustrations included the pickup and dropoff times, which will mean earlier starts and longer rides for some students, and more limited stop locations. Suggestions included carpools to get kids to and from bus stops, and contracting with Plumas Transit for additional route coverage.
More discussions on proposed cutbacks are expected to take place in early January, as the district holds a second round of listening sessions.
