PIERCETON - Rising fuel prices prompted the Whitko School Corp. to make changes to lower transportation costs for the coming school year.
This year, the school corporation will implement a single routing schedule for buses. This means elementary students will be picked up at the same time as middle and high school students.Whitko Superintendent Steve Clason said the transportation department created a new routing schedule to accommodate the change. Clason said when the corporation made their budget for last year, diesel fuel cost between $2 and $2.50 per gallon.
"By the end of the year, we were paying $5 per gallon," he said. "It didn't make any sense to be having our buses going down the same roads twice."
The change to single routing will mean that Pierceton and South Whitley elementary schools have a changed start time this year. SWES will begin at 8:05 a.m. and end at 2:55 p.m. PES will begin at 8:10 a.m. and end at 3 p.m.
Clason said, if oil prices keep rising, the school corporation will need to continue to seek out cost-cutting measures.
"Like everybody else, we're going to have to look at what other issues we need to address to save on transportation costs," he said.
A complete list of the new bus routes will be available at Back to School Night at each school or by contacting the transportation department at 260-723-4619 or 574-594-1687. Route lists are also posted at each school building.
