The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Local News

July 3, 2008

Schools appreciate state’s help with soaring fuel prices

By Marc Basham

Raleigh County Schools treasurer and business manager David Brooks said Thursday he believes last week’s action by the state Legislature allocating an $5 million to help county school systems statewide offset the rising fuel prices was the right call.

“We really appreciate the state stepping forward, taking action and being sensitive about the rising fuel prices and the effect they have on the schools,” Brooks said.

Raleigh County received the largest amount of any school system in the area at $281,991. This high allotment will help the county keep on top of its budget, but it may not be enough to save the budget entirely, Brooks said.

“All of the money we receive will be dedicated to line item fuel prices,” Brooks explained. “However, the budget will be short this coming year. This past year we moved money from other areas to help cover the budget, but the prices were not as high.”

Last school year, the Raleigh County school system spent, on average, $2.59 for regular gas and $2.89 for diesel, according to Brooks. According to GasBuddy.com the average price for unleaded gas in West Virginia stood at $4.11 Thursday, which is near the national average of $4.10.

According to Annette Hughart of Fayette County Schools, the $114,695 allotment for her county “will not cover (the budget), but it will help.” In the last fiscal year Fayette County spent about $518,000 on fuel compared to $357,000 in the previous fiscal year.

Smaller school systems are really taking a hit from the record fuel prices. Francis Crook, business manager for Summers County Schools, says that her county is really struggling to keep up.

“Just like every other small county we are struggling to keep our buses on the road,” Crook said.

With only one high school, one middle school and three elementary schools operating in the county, Summers only received just $26,563 from the $5 million allocation, the lowest amount in the area. Crook says the county is “very appreciative of the money given by the state,” but is still hurting countywide.

“The state appropriates $196,000 to run the transportation department, not counting bus money,” Crook said. “Fuel costs us around $245,000 and we have had to take money from other areas to help fund fuel. We are under funded and it is really eating into our contingencies.”

Counties around the area received around $785,000 total with Greenbrier County receiving $58,871; Mercer, $170,570; Monroe, $66,033; Nicholas, $54,880; and Wyoming $75,247 according to a release from the Office of School Finance.

— E-mail: mbasham@register-herald.com

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