THE PINCH: Schools finding ways to cut fuel costs

Students in the far-flung neighborhoods of Woodland Park School District RE-2 in Teller County rode more than 500,000 miles on buses last year.

That required a lot of diesel fuel, and the dramatic rise in its price put the district's fuel budget in the red. With continued volatility in fuel prices, the district decided to seek parents' help in finding ways to reduce transportation costs.

In a series of meetings that will conclude Monday, district officials, school board members and representatives of Durham School Services, the company that runs the buses, conferred with parents of students on each bus route.

"They have a lot of concerns," said Superintendent Guy Arseneau. "We tried to work through those and then asked for their recommendations. Once you get through that and start brainstorming they get creative and some good ideas have come out."

The district is parking some buses at its elementary school in Divide instead of returning them daily to Woodland Park, said Sheila Silfvenius, director of business services. The estimated savings from that is $10,000 to $15,000 a year.

Additional changes that could come from the meetings, such as consolidated bus stops and route changes, could save another $30,000 or so, Arseneau said. It may not seem huge for a $1.1 million transportation budget, but every bit counts, he said.

Sixteen of the Pikes Peak region's 17 school districts bus students to class daily (Cheyenne Mountain School District 12 doesn't), and increased fuel costs are affecting them. So they, too, are looking for savings wherever they can find them.

Fuel costs are a school budget killer, especially because most buses average six to nine miles a gallon,and buses that run on alternative fuels cost about $300,000 each - three times the cost of a standard diesel model and too pricey for most school budgets.

Some area districts have approached the fuel problem like chess - carefully plotting every movement of buses so there's nary an overlap of neighborhoods. Others have eliminated some routes, reduced student field trips and curtailed rides home for those in after-school programs.

Transportation costs among districts can vary widely based on such factors as the number of routes, miles traveled, geography and how geographically compressed the student population is.

Drivers are being urged to cut fuel consumption by reducing idling time, driving more conservatively and using the air conditioning less. Maintenance folks have beefed up their monitoring of tire pressure and tuning.

They're not, however, looking at eliminating school buses.

"You've got to have buses," Silfvenius said. "If you don't transport the kids in, you're not going to get the kids in school."

Here's a sampling of what districts are paying for vehicle fuel - the fuel bills include service vehicles as well - and how they're cutting costs:

Woodland Park School District RE-2:

• Last year's fuel cost: $161,500
• Budgeted this year: $150,000
• Miles traveled per year: 509,000

Academy School District 20:

• Last year's fuel cost: $824,600
• Budgeted this year: $850,000
• Miles traveled per year: 1.9 million

Spokeswoman Nanette Anderson said the district reviews its routes annually and restructures as needed to keep them efficient. In August, it sent bus drivers a memo with tips for increasing gas mileage, such as avoiding quick acceleration and driving the speed limit.

Colorado Springs School District 11:

• Last year's fuel cost: $700,000
• Budgeted this year: $900,000
• Miles traveled per year: 1.3 million

The district combined a couple of smaller routes, eliminating four routes, said Bill Bair, director of transportation. Some after-school activity bus routes have been eliminated, and schools that choose to retain them must pay the cost.

Bus drivers received additional training to improve mileage, including reducing the amount of idling, Bair said. The fleet of 119 buses is outfitted with Global Positioning System devices that allow the district to monitor idling time, he said.

Schools that request buses for field trips and athletic events are charged more for fuel - the charge went from 75 cents a mile last year to $1.50 a mile this year.

Edison School District 54 JT:

• Last year's fuel cost: $25,000
• Budgeted this year: $50,000
• Miles traveled per year: 170,000

Routes: Four regular routes and a college route that buses 17 seniors 110 miles round trip to Pikes Peak Community College

The district has been on a four-day school week since the energy crisis of the 1980s, but recent spikes in fuel costs are hurting the budget. The problem has been exacerbated by enrollment drops as families move to the city to save commuting costs, Superintendent Dave Grosche said. Districts get money from the state based on the number of students enrolled.

Two years ago, the district joined a rural sports league so students could compete with schools of similar size.

But the football games to which players are bused are sometimes 180 miles away in places such as Vilas in the southeast corner of the state.

"That's a lot of mileage," Grosche said.

And he defended the bus trip to PPCC's Centennial campus.

"We need to do that route. Their parents don't have money for gas; a lot of the kids were trying to drive old beaters that broke down. We worried about their safety."

He's not in crisis mode yet about fuel costs.

"As long as I stay under $5,500 a month, we'll be OK. We budgeted for about $4.50 a gallon and the highest we have paid is $4.14," Grosche said.

But in January, he will reassess the fuel budget.

Ellicott School District 22:

• Last year's fuel cost: $97,000
• Budgeted this year: $153,000
• Miles traveled per year: 225,000

The district eliminated the late bus that gave students a lift after extracurricular activities, cutting 12,000 miles, said Superintendent Terry Ebert. It also has reduced field trips.

Lewis Palmer School District 38:

• Last year's fuel cost: $290,000
• Budgeted this year: $300,000
• Miles traveled per year: 690,000

"We have redone the routes this year to accommodate those attending the new high school and to ensure that our buses are efficiently loaded for trips, and that buses aren't going through the same neighborhoods, that sort of thing," said Hal Garland, transportation director.

For now, it is tracking close to budget, he said. "But with fuel prices fluctuating, future costs are hard to predict."

Falcon School District 49:

• Last year's fuel cost: $679,000
• Budgeted this year: $500,000, with more in reserve if needed
• Miles traveled per year: 1.04 million

The district expects to save $57,000 with the elimination of one route and rejiggering of others on the rural east side, said Cindy Hardin, transportation director.

"The fuel situation is affecting everyone," she said. "Even some of our bus drivers are riding their bicycles to work."