Published: April 30, 2008 09:02 am      

Schools worried about gas prices’ affect on future

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Editor’s Note: This is the third part of a six-part series focusing on rising gas prices and their effect on Jefferson County residents and officials.

By JEREMY HALL

jeremy.hall@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — As area schools race to the finish line of the academic year, they are being chased by sharply increasing fuel prices that threaten to cut into travel functions for students.

Local superintendents say they believe they will make it through the end of the current school year without having to limit field trips and other travel already planned. However, many expressed concern over the next academic school year if there is no relief at the pump.

“We have not made any cuts,” said Waltonville Superintendent Craig Kujawa. “But I’m sure somewhere down the line that talk may take place.”

Mt. Vernon Town-ship High School Superintendent Terry Milt, whose school has a contract with Beck Bus for transportation of its students, said MVTHS will honor its commitments through the end of the current school year.

“But if it stays where it’s at, we’re going to have to take a long, hard look at things,” Milt added.

MVTHS has two more years remaining on a contract with Beck that calls for the school to pay above a set fuel price to accommodate rising costs. Milt said the current budget included a potential rise in fuel costs, so the financial hit is not as significant as it could have been.

Bethel Grade School Superintendent Matt Renaud said he also takes the potential for rising fuel costs into account while preparing his school’s budget.

“I usually budget 50 to 75 cents a gallon more than what the price is at the beginning of the year,” he said.

Even with those considerations, the sharp nature of the current price spike has school administrators concerned.

According to the state of Illinois Gas Price Monitoring Web site, the average price for a gallon of diesel fuel was $4.13 on Tuesday after three days of fluctuating prices.

That compares to an average of $4.023 one month ago and $3.30 in late February. One year ago, the average was $2.974.

Mt. Vernon District 80 Superintendent Dr. Kevin Settle said his district has a fuel escalator clause in its contract with Beck, meaning the district pays for anything above $2 a gallon.

“We’ll absorb 100 percent of that,” said Settle. “Then there are side costs. We have a fleet of vehicles that we do our maintenance with.”

Settle said, while uncomfortable, the rising costs will not affect the final month of the school year.

“We are going to get through as planned,” he said. “We’ve been pretty responsible fiscally. We’ve tried to be conservative.”

Kujawa said Waltonville schools are concluding a one-year bus contract and already are looking ahead to next year.

“Obviously [the fuel cost] is an issue,” said Kujawa. “We’re looking at what would be the fairest thing for all parties involved.”

While field trips and other school transportation needs are being met, Milt said athletic directors and other administrators within the South Seven Conference are discussing ways to limit the travel by each school. One suggestion is to pair freshman and sophomore athletic events to run simultaneously.

“I know the conference administrators and ADs are already looking at that,” said Milt.

Waltonville, Woodlawn, Webber Township and Wayne City all will start competing in a new athletic conference next season, as the group has joined the far-flung Midland Trail Conference.

Kujawa said the distance required for competition in the conference may become an issue if there is no relief in the cost of diesel fuel.

“There hasn’t been any talk on that front yet,” he said. “I’m sure that will be on the horizon if the prices continue to escalate.”