I agree that in rural parts of the counties, nothing can be done with regards to joining routes. However, in densely populated areas, it could.

 

With eliminating the bus services for athletic events, you'll run into issues of getting the kids to the event. With new driving laws, the kids that have a license can't pile in all the younger kids to get to the event. Many parents cannot leave work early to get them to the event.

 

Same spot they are in now as it is getting perilously close to where school districts cannot afford to get kids to events.

Are you sure that is accurate for all sports?

 

For example, assume the boys basketball is self-supportive. Then the board has to kick in funds to get the girls to the level that the boys are. Part of that level includes the funds that goes to pay the bus driver. So, for the cost of running the program, the board picks up the cost for many, many sports.

 

The fundraising cost is to cover, many times, things that go beyond the normal running of the program.

All I can tell you about the truth of that matter is.... I hear complaints of having to pay the bus driver the .90 some odd cents an hour for the drive and pay them while they wait... Then I have heard people joyful discuss, certain bus driver doesn't charge us, because he wanted to see the game...

Then... one coach wanted car-pooling for some games becasue the MS Sport had just started up and they had no money in their budget to pay the bus driver.

- That is how I came to that conclusion.

State law requires a certain amount of days for the students to attend. I believe it is 177. So whether it is 4 days a week or 7 days a week, it wouldn't change how many days that the schools will have to transport the students. Unless, the state legislature would get involved and change the # of days.

 

I.

 

 

Webter County goes 4 days a week. The teachers attend several days where the students do not to get the 177 days but the students do not get that many but they get the minutes.

 

Our school looked into it for next year but the community did not buy into it.

I guess the good old days of a group of moms driving a carload of kids to a field trip is over. That would help with field trips.

Some coaches hire assistants who drive the bus.

Some coaches hire assistants who drive the bus.

 

Good solution for addressing cost of bus driver.

Doesn't address cost of fuel.

In the infinite wisdom of the state legislature, they did both.

 

They changed one law to certain # of minutes but also passed another that said 177 days of instruction.

 

Many schools were going to add 30 minutes to the day leading up to CATS testing because of days missed because of snow. But was told that they could do that but would also have to put in 177 days of instruction.

 

Oh ok, thanks for the info:thumb:

SO if they say that players find their own way there are they tracking the mileage on parents cars?

What would the cost be to convert the busses to biodiesel? Would it even make an impact?

 

You Don't have to convert them they will run on it just as they are. As a diesel vehicle owner I have tried to burn it in my truck and it ran like it had water in it or something.It didn't run very well at all.

Great question. Have zero clue.

 

Side note: Saw that the prices of wheat is going up. It seems farmers are growing more corn than wheat because of the anticipation of the need for ethanol. Since there is a smaller supply of wheat, prices going up for it.:irked:

 

No actually what drive up the grain prices are the reports that farmers give at the end of each harvest season which is the last of November first of December. I forget the name of it but its a report that consist of how many acres were planted with what crop and what was the total yield for that crop. Then they take in to consideration about the drought and all that. These wheat prices will come back down when the harvest time for wheat is thats about June or July.

When our children go on a field trip, there is usually a small "bus" fee. Maybe raising the bus fee would help. Cutting back on field trips is another option. Kids go on far more field trips than we ever did.

 

 

As far as day to day, transport, a fee would probably only hurt those who can least afford it.

 

Unfortunately, it does not seem to be a priority for our state or federal government. School budgets are already stretched to the limit.

The simple answer is to eliminate school bus rides for middle school sporting events. There are many schools around the state who have sports programs that do not ever use a bus.

There is a part of me that wonders if this will hurt rural programs more across the board than the urban ones. Driving distance doesn't have to be a whole lot for most urban programs, would the increased exposure to competition help the urban schools at the expense of their rural bretheren if fuel costs continue to rise?

There is a part of me that wonders if this will hurt rural programs more across the board than the urban ones. Driving distance doesn't have to be a whole lot for most urban programs, would the increased exposure to competition help the urban schools at the expense of their rural bretheren if fuel costs continue to rise?

 

Very good point!

State law requires a certain amount of days for the students to attend. I believe it is 177. So whether it is 4 days a week or 7 days a week, it wouldn't change how many days that the schools will have to transport the students. Unless, the state legislature would get involved and change the # of days.

 

I am most familiar with girls basketball. It cost about $3,000 per year for the bus driver. Add in $1,000 for fuel (that is a total guess for me) and that is $4,000 per year. Let's say 25 girls basketball players freshmen through seniors and that modest "participation fee" is $160 per player.

 

And I think you then run into a problem with those kids on free/reduced lunch not be able to participate because they cannot afford the $160 fee.

 

Not arguing against your suggestions but rather listing the problems you run into with these things.

Are you sure about the bolded? I don't think it has anything to do with "days". I think the state mandates hours. So if that's correct, then a 4 day extended schedule would work.