Schools cope with high gas prices
By Earl Horlyk Journal staff writer | Posted: Sunday, June 15, 2008
Sioux City Community School District head mechanic Randy Merrigan reaches to shut off a pump after fueling up one of the district's buses with 43 gallons at the city's central maintenance facility. (Staff photo by Jerry Mennenga)
SIOUX CITY - The school year may have ended for the Sioux City School District but that doesn't mean its buses will remain idle.
"Summers used to be a down time for us," said the district's director of operations and maintenance Mel McKern. "But that won't be the case this year."
Between summer school and other programs, he said 26 of the district's 51 bus routes will be run this summer.
"There's simply a greater demand for our services," McKern noted.
As gas prices continue to climb, this demand concerns McKern and other school employees, who must set their yearly budgets months in advance. According to Chief Financial Officer Bill Stoneburg, the district had budgeted $325,000 to purchase diesel for its buses for the fiscal year ending on Jun. 30.
"We actually went through $462,000," he said. "That's $137,000 more than what we had originally budgeted."
Stoneburg has also seen the price of diesel jump from $2.40 a gallon last summer to $3.40 in April.
Higher gas prices affected more than just gas, Stoneburg said. The increase has been seen in materials that must be delivered to the schools, such as offices supplies and food.
To accommodate for the shortfall, the district has cut back on some field trips previously scheduled for its students.
"We also asked all of our employees to participate in a discretionary spending freeze in the spring," Stoneburg said. "They were told whatever spending they were planning to do would have to wait until the next school year."
"Believe me, we're used to working with tight budgets," McKern said, "and we're always looking to cut costs. But when there's an unexpected spike in prices, something's gotta give."
To ease with the money squeeze, McKern said he's centralized his staff of carpenters, plumbers and electricians to two district points as a way to become more efficient and to "eliminate unnecessary windshield time."
The district has also done away with its big, riding lawn mowers, replacing them with smaller, more energy-efficient models.
"We had a snowier than normal winter this year," McKern said. "Unless there's a big event going on, we've stopped removing snow from school grounds on Saturdays. Instead, we concentrate our efforts for Sunday nights to ensure plowed surfaces when the schools open on Monday mornings."
School thermostats will also be set, he said, at 70 degrees for the winter and 74 degrees for the summer.
"That didn't go over very well," McKern contended. "But when you have more than 1,000 employees, it's hard to please everyone."
Bringing in two new schools for the 2008-09 school year, Stoneburg said, should allow the district's to cut back on natural gas costs but will necessitate an increase in its electric bills.
"The older schools that the new Leeds and Unity Elementary will be replacing weren't very energy-efficient," he said. "But the new schools will be in much bigger buildings that'll require year-round air conditioning."
With natural gas budgeted at $726,000 and electricity budgeted at $937,000 for the 2008-09 school year, Stoneburg said he is confident in the numbers.
"If this past year is any indication," he said, "we should be right on the money or see a slight surplus."
Even though the district predicts it will spends $2.1 million the district on diesel, gasohol, natural gas and electricity, Stoneburg is quick to point out that it still amounts to less than two percent of the $133 million in the district's general fund.
"Unlike the airlines and the trucking industries," he said," these kinds of increase will not be a killer for us."
"Summers used to be a down time for us," said the district's director of operations and maintenance Mel McKern. "But that won't be the case this year."
Between summer school and other programs, he said 26 of the district's 51 bus routes will be run this summer.
"There's simply a greater demand for our services," McKern noted.
As gas prices continue to climb, this demand concerns McKern and other school employees, who must set their yearly budgets months in advance. According to Chief Financial Officer Bill Stoneburg, the district had budgeted $325,000 to purchase diesel for its buses for the fiscal year ending on Jun. 30.
"We actually went through $462,000," he said. "That's $137,000 more than what we had originally budgeted."
Stoneburg has also seen the price of diesel jump from $2.40 a gallon last summer to $3.40 in April.
Higher gas prices affected more than just gas, Stoneburg said. The increase has been seen in materials that must be delivered to the schools, such as offices supplies and food.
To accommodate for the shortfall, the district has cut back on some field trips previously scheduled for its students.
"We also asked all of our employees to participate in a discretionary spending freeze in the spring," Stoneburg said. "They were told whatever spending they were planning to do would have to wait until the next school year."
"Believe me, we're used to working with tight budgets," McKern said, "and we're always looking to cut costs. But when there's an unexpected spike in prices, something's gotta give."
To ease with the money squeeze, McKern said he's centralized his staff of carpenters, plumbers and electricians to two district points as a way to become more efficient and to "eliminate unnecessary windshield time."
The district has also done away with its big, riding lawn mowers, replacing them with smaller, more energy-efficient models.
"We had a snowier than normal winter this year," McKern said. "Unless there's a big event going on, we've stopped removing snow from school grounds on Saturdays. Instead, we concentrate our efforts for Sunday nights to ensure plowed surfaces when the schools open on Monday mornings."
School thermostats will also be set, he said, at 70 degrees for the winter and 74 degrees for the summer.
"That didn't go over very well," McKern contended. "But when you have more than 1,000 employees, it's hard to please everyone."
Bringing in two new schools for the 2008-09 school year, Stoneburg said, should allow the district's to cut back on natural gas costs but will necessitate an increase in its electric bills.
"The older schools that the new Leeds and Unity Elementary will be replacing weren't very energy-efficient," he said. "But the new schools will be in much bigger buildings that'll require year-round air conditioning."
With natural gas budgeted at $726,000 and electricity budgeted at $937,000 for the 2008-09 school year, Stoneburg said he is confident in the numbers.
"If this past year is any indication," he said, "we should be right on the money or see a slight surplus."
Even though the district predicts it will spends $2.1 million the district on diesel, gasohol, natural gas and electricity, Stoneburg is quick to point out that it still amounts to less than two percent of the $133 million in the district's general fund.
"Unlike the airlines and the trucking industries," he said," these kinds of increase will not be a killer for us."
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Stu wrote on Jun 15, 2008 10:25 AM: