Education

SCHOOL DISTRICTS TAKING ACTION AGAINST RISING COSTS The percentage of superintendents who say their school districts are taking the following steps to counteract rising fuel prices: Various energy conservation measures: 59%  Cutting back on student field trips: 44%  Cutting back on heating and air conditioning: 37%  Consolidating bus routes: 35%  Limiting staff business travel: 34%  Eliminating/modifying support personnel jobs: 33%  Cutting back on purchasing supplies: 31%  Delaying facility upgrades and repairs: 29%  Eliminating/modifying instructional jobs: 29%  Eliminating/modifying administrative jobs: 21% Source: American Association of School Administrators Fuel and Energy Snapshot Survey  YOUR VOTE

In the first detailed look at how fuel costs are affecting schools, a survey by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) finds 99% of superintendents contacted say they're feeling the pinch — and 77% say they're not getting any help from their state.

"No question that schools are being impacted here," says Steven Crawford, executive director of the Cooperative Council of Oklahoma School Administration. "The price of fuel has impacted everybody's budget."

The AASA survey of 546 superintendents, out today, follows an informal poll last month that found fuel and heating costs rising from 10% to 32% over last year.

Other surveys have found that transportation costs are up by as much as 40% in the nation's 14,100 school districts.

The new figures paint a vivid picture, finding that:

• 15% of districts are eliminating bus routes and either eliminating or modifying extracurricular offerings or sports.

• 15% are considering moving to a four-day school week.

• 44% are cutting back on field trips.

• 29% are eliminating or modifying teaching positions.

Crawford, who until this summer was superintendent of Byng, Okla., Public Schools, says two Oklahoma districts are "seriously considering" four-day weeks to trim fuel and heating costs.

Other districts are looking into converting diesel bus fleets to run on natural gas — and a consortium of districts in the western part of the state is considering building its own wind-generated power plant to provide electricity, heating and cooling. They'd sell the surplus electricity for a profit, Crawford says.

"You can reap the benefits for 20 or 25 years or longer," he says.

A 35-year education veteran, Crawford says Oklahoma schools went through similar woes in the 1980s' oil bust and are used to tightening belts. But rising energy prices, he says, could bring a "huge shift," forcing schools to downsize in new ways.

"If it's for a prolonged period of time, it'll change the way we do business."

Who should pay for rising fuel prices? Parents? Taxpayers? The state? The feds? Or should the schools cut back on ?non-essentials? to make up the difference? Share your views below: