Footing the Bill for Increased Fuel Costs for School Busses

FOOTING THE BILL

From the Washington Post

Wednesday, June 25, 2008; Page A12

ANYONE WHO drives these days knows the pain of $4 (plus)-a-gallon gasoline. There's no question, then, that a system using more than 3 million gallons a year is facing some real hurt. But the idea being floated by Montgomery County school officials to extend students' walking distances is, at best, a scare tactic aimed at wringing more money out of the county government. At worst, it's a drastic change that carries serious implications for student safety.

At the behest of schools Superintendent Jerry D. Weast, the county school board changed its transportation policy to give the administration emergency powers to make students walk farther to their schools. Soaring fuel prices have, as The Post's Daniel de Vise reported, resulted in a doubling of costs in four years. Problems are looming this year because officials, who budgeted for $2.75 a gallon, now see the price at $4.40 a gallon and rising. School officials stress they are not scaling back bus service, merely studying options. They insist no decision would be made that would place any student at risk. They also say they're looking at other options, such as consolidating bus runs or trying to coordinate service with Ride-On buses.

Right now, school bus service is guaranteed for elementary school students only if they would have to walk more than a mile and to high school students if they would have to walk more than two. Because of early start times, high school students go to school in darkness for much of the year. With all due respect to the "let them walk" crowd, cold, darkness and a scarcity of sidewalks would be likely to make longer walks unmanageable, even dangerous.


Frankly, we find it troubling that school officials are even considering the possibility. After all, these are the same officials who wouldn't even countenance a suggestion to give less generous raises to school employees. Why is it acceptable to float the idea of a longer hike for a third-grader, and increase the burden on taxpayers, but not to ask a teacher to consider a raise of 6 percent rather than 8 percent? Instead of talking about longer walks or bigger class sizes or supplemental budgets, school officials should exercise the common sense any householder would use in eliminating luxuries that have become unaffordable.
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Got the idea from this Editorial? Huge wage increases for County School employees could be slimmed down in order to pay for increases in fuel costs and our kids would not have to walk further to get to schools. What is more important, safety of the kids or higher living perks for the school staffing? You can see the way that the County is headed from this choice--kids must walk further!!!!