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Gas hikes strain bus budgets
The wheels on the bus do go round and round, as the popular children's song notes, and it's getting pretty expensive.When the 2007-08 school budget for fuel was set at $860,000, the cost of gas was $2.82 per gallon and diesel was at $2.34 per gallon.
By the time school actually rolled around last September, gas was $2.60 and diesel was $2.56.
As the term nears its end, Bill Stanton, head of the transportation department, reports gas is $3.19 and diesel is $3.79. Since the price of fuel undergoes a daily, sometimes hourly price adjustment, it is probably higher as this reaches readers.
Rising fuel costs have changed budget forecasts from educated guesses to just guesses.
“Given the volatility in gas prices," said Janice Bourne, assistant superintendent of administration, "any projection we make regarding fuel prices is likely to be inaccurate.
“When we budget, we try to budget a reasonable increase given past trends. However, past trends are not accurate in such a fast-rising market.”
The school budget for fuel for 2008-09 is set at $919,597, anticipating the use of more than 380,000 gallons.
What that means is school administrators calculated fuel budget requirements for the next school year based on gasoline and diesel prices that had already been matched or surpassed at the pump.
"We had competing interests in this budget," said Andy Hawkins, the school system's budget and operations manager. "It may not be budgeted as adequately as needed. We will fund it one way or another."
The opening of Kettle Run High and Greenville Elementary will add approximately 180,000 miles to the log for 160 school buses.
In the 2006-07 school year, the transportation department reported almost 2.7 million logged miles.
“We always try to minimize miles driven, and will continue to seek savings by reducing miles driven, if possible,” Bourne said
While the school system may be able to control some of its mileage, it cannot control fuel prices. Bourne said that if prices continue to climb, school administrators will have to use discretionary funds to cover the shortfall.
Discretionary money can come from areas where funds have not been spent as planned. These may be the savings when a teacher retires and is replaced with a new hire at a lesser salary. Money can come from the school system's materials and supplies budget or from savings in the Comprehensive Maintenance Plan.
While there are quite a few areas from which to draw discretionary funds, “we don't take money from things that directly affect children," Hawkins said.
E-mail the reporter: afelts@timespapers.com.
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