By Lee Ross
Mountain View Telegraph
A deficit in gas money and school buses may soon be solved by the Moriarty-Edgewood School District.
Issues involving funding for fuel and declining enrollment in the district has led Plant School Transportation, which has provided the majority of the district's buses, to close its doors a few months before school began.
Ernie Sandoval, the Moriarty-Edgewood School District Transportation director, said that Plant School Transportation ran 43 buses last year and is down to 37 out of the district's 53 bus routes in all in the past school year.
While the district has reported declines in enrollment of roughly 200 students per year for several years, Sandoval pointed out that running fewer buses loaded with more students probably also reduced the company's overhead.
A letter from Plant indicates the reduction may have actually eaten into the company's profits. It states:
“When the student count declines, PST is required to return part of the contract revenues. This has happened for the last five years and on average, PST has had to return more than $75,000 per annum.”
While the district's future enrollment is unknown, there may be relief on the way to help cover escalating gas prices, according to Danielle Montoya, public information officer for the Public Education Department.
“We know that we have a deficit,” she said.
The state funds an estimated $2.66 per gallon of diesel, a number that was arrived at in January based on projections from a national market analysis company.
Montoya pointed out that there is also a 45 cent excise tax credit, which effectively brings the reimbursement per gallon to $3.11. Even so, with the cost of diesel over $4 at the pump, the department is anticipating a $1.5 million deficit for the coming year.
“Last year the same type of thing happened,” Montoya said.
She pointed out that during the school year the department kicked in an additional $800,000 and $1.6 million in emergency transportation funds. She said there will be a request for emergency funding by January 2009.
Sandoval said he hasn't seen much in the way of specifics from the state yet.
“Everybody has mentioned that they are hoping that we'll do better,” Sandoval said. “The whole state is in the same boat.”
Meanwhile the district is scrambling to get its transportation needs covered. A request for proposals was sent out and Superintendent Karen Couch said she expects a decision at the next school board meeting on July 15. She said getting the district's transportation needs covered by the start of school in August is her highest priority.
“We have talked to several (contractors) who are interested,” Sandoval said, adding that the situation has put the district in an uncomfortable position. “(Finding transportation) is not going to be anything I was raring to go out and do immediately, but we'll get through it.”
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