|
Topic: Fuel Costs About the Author: (Click Here) Contact Author: (Click Here) Free Bus stop safety Graphics: Atn: 2safeschools Library Services Manager Graphic Previews: (Click Here) Graphics and Images Contact E-Mail: [email protected] Photo by James Kraemer, 2safeschools.org
Summer 2008 Given the current economic environment, many school districts are facing a number of budgetary challenges, including finding ways to pay for rising fuel prices. Some district policy makers are suggesting cuts in service that would require students to walk longer distances to class while others are recommending that school bus service be eliminated entirely.
These solutions may provide short-term relief, but the consequences of these actions not only compromise safety, they shift the burden of these decisions to parents who are facing similar fuel price concerns. They also will likely lead to more cars on the road and increased congestion around school property. As a result, members of the American School Bus Council (ASBC) strongly urge school district policy makers to consider these actions very carefully.
Yellow school buses have been consistently and repeatedly acknowledged by every major safety agency of the federal government as the safest form of transportation for children getting to and from school. If schools begin to take kids off the bus, they are not only reducing safety, but also creating a situation that could limit a student's ability to get to school, which not only will impact attendance and achievement, but also eliminates the only option some families have to get their kids to school. In addition, school buses can also help individual families reduce their own contribution to carbon emissions, as well as decrease congestion on roads leading to schools.
Members of the ASBC understand the difficult choices that each district is forced to make and hope that appropriate solutions can be developed that don't compromise the safety of students or accessibility to education. To that end, members of the ASBC also applaud our elected leaders and other policy makers that are engaging the industry and its customers -- especially working parents -- in their conversations about the issues that are leading to this crisis for our schools.
As the nation's largest public transportation system, the ASBC's school bus fleet runs entirely on local funding without any support from the federal government. As national solutions are developed and debated, we encourage our lawmakers to support the school bus industry as a means to not only provide safe, reliable and effective transportation to our nation's children, but also a means to reduce individual family's dependence on gas and carbon emissions.
About the American School Bus Council Summer 2008 All across the U.S. the press is reporting school bus providers are increasing fees, cutting services, and in some cases eliminating services. Tens of thousands of children may face no bus ride to and from school this coming school year.
Cheatham County in Ashland City (Tennessee.) plans to park its school buses next February, the month officials say they can no longer afford fuel. A day after the County Commission cut $197,000 from schools funding, the school board voted to take the entire amount "from the diesel fuel line for buses and not from any services to students," chairman Barry Breen said. He said the $303,000 fuel budget will last until sometime in February, depending on price fluctuations. The original budget allowed $500,000 for fuel in 2008-09. The cuts, which he said fund the district at the lowest level allowable by law, "went against both their own Education Committee � which unanimously supported the original funding, including the amount for diesel fuel � and went against their own budget committee." ~ Source excerpts: "Cheatham budgets too little money for '08-'09 school bus fuel," Jul 3 2008, The Tennessean
School districts all across New Mexico are desperate for more fuel reimbursements from the public education department. KOAT 7 News in Albuquerque recently reported the school bus companies that Albuquerque Public Schools contracts said they don't know how much longer they can stay in business with the way things are now. They said they need more funding from the state. But New Mexico's education secretary told Action 7 News there just isn't more money to hand out. "We're holding until better days I guess," school bus company owner Denny Beal said. Beal owns a fleet of 23 buses that he contracts out to the school district.
Over the past year in the Southampton school district (New York) the price of diesel fuel for the district's 48 buses has more than doubled from $2.09 a gallon to $4.24. It takes 60 gallons to fill up one school bus -- the district now pays more than $12,000 to fill its fleet. At the same time, heating oil has skyrocketed too. "All bets are off. This is unprecedented," said Maria Smith, assistant superintendent for business in Southampton. Schools across Long Island are being hit hard with high-energy costs, and some predict it's only going to get worse. ~ Source excerpts: "School districts hit hard by fuel costs," June 25, 2008, Newsday
Scool transportation services and their related contracts are under revision because of escalating fuel prices that are expected to continue upward. Escapes from ending services include increasing taxes and fees in the hope to offset school transportation services on a path to bankruptcy.
The cost of a school-year bus pass is nearly doubling this year at BYU, but university officials say the high cost of fuel still makes it a good deal. In the story, "Bus Pass Prices to Increase," from Jun 25th Brigham Young NewsNet, If purchased this fall, the Utah Transit Authority Ed Pass will cost $120. That's up $50 from the $70 it cost last fall. The Ed Pass is the equivalent of UTA's Premium Express monthly pass, which normally costs riders $160 per month. "Ed Passes are very important to college students who are trying to live as cheaply as possible," said Carrie Bohnsack-Ware, spokeswoman for UTA.
Canada school bus transportation services are facing similar escalating costs for fuel.
Late June the (CBC) reported that a major Nova Scotia (Canada) bus company is walking away from a five-year contract with Nova Scotia's Acadian school board, blaming high fuel prices. Perry Rand Transportation, operating under the name The Bus Boys, transports 2,700 students a day for the Counel scolaire acadien provincial. The company is paid per trip, per day, but the skyrocketing price of diesel is crippling the business, said Rick Spencer, the company's chief financial officer. The bus company still had two years on its contract with the CSAP, but it's exercising an escape clause, citing financial distress. Too continue the contract would. "bankrupt the company," Spencer said. The school board didn't fight the
move. It accepts that the bus company has run into extraordinary circumstances. ~ (Source excerpts: "Fuel costs drive bus company out of school contract," Yahoo News/CBC)
In another recent Canadian press story it was reported that Education Minister Karen Casey said there's nothing the Nova Scotia government can do to stop a bus company from terminating its contract with the Acadian school board. The transportation company is using an escape clause to get out of its contract with the Acadian school board over the rising price of diesel fuel.
In late June the BBC reported that about, "800 children with special needs were left without transport to school after a stoppage by bus operators. Operators in Wirral called the strike over claims their pay from the council has not risen in three years - despite increasing costs." A Wirral Council spokesman said the industrial action had caused "needless disruption" to many children, but the operators said the last-minute action was necessary to force the council to take notice of their concerns. The Wirral Bus Operators Association apologized to those affected but said its members had been "backed into a corner" by the council. (Source excerpts: ~ "Children stranded by bus strike," BBC, Canada)
The school bus driver shortage that has plagued this industry for decades and for many reasons may ease these next few years due to escalating fuel costs. The inability of some school districts and private contractors to respond effectively in maintaining the level of services communities have long expected may this coming school year leave schools and parents with unacceptable options.
The safest transportation to and from school saves lives and fuel. Saving lives is the greatest reason to plan now to fund curing an energy cancer that has invaded this industry. Not to do so now could cause a domino effect as schools panic, cut services, and find themselves bombarded with a flood of new traffic issues and related costs to then effectively escalate community-wide costs beyond the current issue of fuel costs for the school buses.
It can be argued that our nation ought not to never experienced this energy crisis and the foreign dependency that brought about this fuel crisis. Regardless, a real crisis is here now. Funding to cover the escalation of fuel prices is only one part the whole picture.
Dealing now to insure adequate funding for the school buses may for some districts turn out to have been the most efficient and cost-savings short-term move over that of hoping fuel prices will drop or that ignoring this issue would somehow work out.
Finding answers to resolve our dependency on foreign oil must not be ignored much longer. The need may be great but the willingness to act may still be lacking for as long as another dollar can be found too pay for our dependency on foreign oil. (jk)
Tell us what you think - Public Comments | Letter To Editor | Discuss in the forums | Survey
The School Bus: Safety ignored - In 2003, and well before the recent fuel price crisis began, some school boards and administrations were ending their school bus transportation service. That trend was also related to costs. Click Here for archived story.
More archived stories - Click Here
Close this page when accessed from 2safeschools Front Page. For a Direct Link to Front Page. Click Here
|
