Tenth-grader Krystal Luss made a firm decision last week &045; she won’t be riding the school bus this year.

The Natchez High student doesn’t think she’s too cool for the bus; it’s just a simple matter of sleep.

Though her classes will start 20 minutes later this year than last, Luss would have to be up and standing at the bus stop 20 minutes earlier than last year, at 7:10 a.m.

The timing of Luss’ bus route is just one of many bus changes &045; some for the better, some for the worse &045; that will affect riders as a result of the district’s reorganization.

Because of changes in the grade alignments, school buses that previously only visited two schools each day will be visiting four. Some buses will also have longer drives, since children won’t necessarily be going to the school closest to their house.

To make up for the travel time and minimize the number of students with rides like Luss, the school day will start later at Robert Lewis Middle School and Natchez High. Morning bells will be moved from 7:55 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. Dismissal will be moved from 3:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The start times will stay the same for all four elementary schools &045; 7:45 a.m.

Some elementary students will transfer buses at McLaurin or Morgantown Elementary in the mornings so buses can make trips to RLMS and NHS.

Home drop offs in the afternoons will be up to about 30 minutes later.

Despite some major educational changes in the elementary schools, bus confusion still tops the list of worries for district administrators, parents and Durham Bus Services personnel, they said.

Durham Director Ron Idom worked with administrators throughout the summer to devise the current plan, but he said change always takes time.

&uot;I feel comfortable with it,&uot; he said. &uot;But there are going to be some adjustments after the first few days.&uot;

Idom said he expected some kinks in the transfers at Morgantown and McLaurin at first, but said they were necessary for efficiency.

A goal of the route design was to reduce the number of buses on the streets, saving the schools money and making traffic safer, he said.

The district is encouraging parents of kindergarten through second-grade students to pin a note on their children with the student’s name, grade, school, bus number and drop off address for the first couple of days of school to assist drivers and schools.

Superintendent Anthony Morris also requested that parents let their children ride the bus on the first day of school instead of dropping them off to help the district gauge how things will be.

&uot;Our greatest concern is with the buses and being sure that all of that works,&uot; Morris said. &uot;Just on paper, all of the things look good.&uot;

Idom said minor changes to the routes might come depending on the number of riders in the first several days of school.

McLaurin Principal Karen Tutor said she shared some worries about transportation.

&uot;All the questions right now center around the buses,&uot; she said. &uot;We need to make sure everybody knows to be on time every day.&uot;