Gas prices hinder school transportation budgets

By Jim Cook

Published: July 8, 2008

Rising fuel costs are causing a drastic increase in school systems’ transportation budgets.

According to Dothan City Schools and Houston County Schools officials, high gas prices are running up their transportation costs and the situation is expected to get worse. In addition to the additional fuel costs, school buses may have to carry more students and make more stops as higher fuel prices convince more parents to let their kids ride the bus to school.

According to Kerry Bedsole, Houston County Schools finance director, the county has already overshot its fuel budget for the entire 2007-08 fiscal year by more than $100,000, though the fiscal year runs through October.

In the Dothan City Schools, fuel costs for this year are still below last year’s total budget, but are getting close. In the 2006-2007 fiscal year, the city schools spent about $313,000 on fuel costs. So far this fiscal year, the system has spent about $271,000 on fuel.

Tim Pitchford, Houston County School Superintendent, said his system is monitoring its fuel use, but otherwise is just hunkering down and hoping that fuel prices will drop.

“We’re not going to make any drastic changes,” he said. “We think we can weather the storm until the economy turns.”
Dothan City Schools Chief Finance Officer Mike Manuel said his system is making triple runs and is looking to offset fuel costs by leaving vacant bus driver positions unfilled.

The state has stepped up to help defray increasing transportation costs. The state increased its funding of local transportation costs in its education budget and also raised the mileage rate systems can charge schools for field trips and athletic events from $1 per mile to $1.50 per mile.