As school districts begin creating their budgets for the 2008-2009 year, the rising price of diesel is affecting the bottom lines of schools all over the nation, as more and more money needs to be allotted for gas purchases for all those big yellow school busses.   As I’m sure you’re aware, school budgets are often somewhat tight is it is, and the skyrocketing price of fuel isn’t helping any.   An article in the Lincoln Journal Star highlights the issue.

As of the end of March, the district had spent $422,260 on diesel fuel. Its budget was $393,950.  Officials predict they’ll spend another $170,740 through the end of the fiscal year.

And as prices go up and up, more money is taken away from other parts of the budget to keep the busses going.

The fuel costs also are affecting the prices of textbooks and supplies that need to be shipped from all corners of the globe.   This means that schools are looking for other places to cut budgets.   Lincoln’s school district has cut the number of field trips a class can take to two a year.   Repairs are also going by the wayside.

One way districts might be able to save money over the long run is to get themselves some biodiesel school busses.   takepart and learn more about biodiesel school busses as a way to bring down fuel costs.   Because children are our future, or something like that, and if we spend all our education money on fuel, how will we ever comply with No Child Left Behind?