Q-C school districts grapple with skyrocketing fuel costs

Font Size:

By Sheena Dooley | Tuesday, August 26, 2008 9:02 PM CDT | () comments

A North Scott Junior High School student runs to catch a bus after school Aug., 26, 2008. Rising fuel prices have area school districts are dealing with higher energy costs this year. North Scott which operates its has been especially hard because it is one of the largest school districts in terms of its land-size. (Kevin E. Schmidt/QUAD-CITY TIMES) Buy this Photo

Filling up at the gas pump isn’t just taking a toll on individual’s wallets. Local school districts also are feeling the pinch as yearly costs have more than doubled for them in some instances.

Three Iowa Quad-City districts experienced an average fuel cost increase of just more than $57,000 last school year. During the same time period, their peers in Illinois saw their expenses grow by an average of $50,000. The increases represent only a small portion of most districts’ multimillion-dollar budgets, but are a significant amount when compared with costs in previous years, school leaders said.

For now, most said they are absorbing the higher prices, which represent increases that range from 16 percent to 110 percent, by dipping into their reserves, or savings. However, if costs continue to balloon, they will have to make cuts in staffing or programs to offset the added expense, officials said. That has prompted Pleasant Valley, North Scott and Bettendorf school boards to make lobbying lawmakers for more money a priority during the next legislative session.

Davenport leaders were not available for comment, and the district could not supply fuel-cost figures.

“The last several years, we have seen the first of the really significant increases in fuel costs,” said Mike Clingingsmith, chief financial officer of the Pleasant Valley School District. “It just makes things tougher. To put it in

perspective, that’s the equivalent of

the cost of the salary and benefits for

a new teacher with a fair amount of experience.”

The only district to buck the trend has been Rock Island. Fuel costs dropped $4,000 last school year over the previous one. However, those figures don’t include diesel expenses for bus routes, which is included in a five-year contract the district has with a private provider, said Mike Oberhaus, the Rock Island-Milan School District’s associate superintendent for operations and quality.

Aside from Rock Island, other districts experienced a range of increases last school year, including:

n In Pleasant Valley, costs rose 35 percent, or almost $51,000. The district spent $194,000 on fuel last school year.

-Costs in the Bettendorf School District increased 110 percent, or almost $52,000. The district spent $101,868 on fuel last school year.

- Moline-Coal Valley School District costs increased 16 percent, or just more than $105,000. It paid $781,000 for fuel last school year.

- In North Scott School District, expenses increased 32 percent, or $70,000. The district spent $231,515 on fuel last school year.

Although North Scott serves only 3,000 students, it is the largest local district in terms of the square miles within its boundaries. Bus drivers cover a combined 500,000 miles on their routes each year, which brings with it fuel bills that significantly surpass those in neighboring Iowa districts.

Joe Heintz, North Scott’s director of business, said in his 30 years dealing with school finance, he has not seen prices spike the way they have in recent months. The increases are partly to blame for his district having to eliminate some elementary teaching positions through attrition.

“As diesel rises, it’s simply dollars that are taking away from our ability to do other things in the school district,” said Dennis Rucker, North Scott interim superintendent. “There is no magic money tree to pay for those additional costs.”

Iowa school districts use money from their general fund, which pays for teacher salaries and programs, among other things, to cover fuel-related costs. School board members in Pleasant Valley, Bettendorf and North Scott are advocating the state create a separate fund with new money in it to pay for fuel expenses and have named it as a top legislative priority for next year’s session.

Illinois already has a separate “transportation” fund that uses state and local property tax money to cover some costs.

“We didn’t have to make cuts to cover this increase, but we know it’s something that we have to keep our eye on because it is going to continue to eat into our general fund budget,” said Maxine McEnany, director of finance and business services in Bettendorf.

Sheena Dooley can be contacted

at (563) 383-2363 or sdooley@qctimes.com.