Wichita Public Schools is feeling the effects of rising fuel costs as diesel continues to hit record highs.
The district’s latest annual budget, which the school board approved earlier this month, includes an additional $1.13 million for fuel costs.
Most of that money will go toward fueling buses, but the district also maintains a fleet of pickup trucks and other vehicles.
Addi Lowell, the district’s chief financial officer, said it’s the first time in recent years that the district has had to increase its fuel budget.
“We actually haven’t had to address fuel increases too much since the pandemic,” she said. “A million dollars is about 20 teaching positions, so it is a significant [strain] on our budget.”
Fuel prices have been on the rise since February due to the U.S. and Israel’s war on Iran.
The additional $1.13 million in the district’s budget is based on projected diesel prices of around $5 per gallon.
Diesel currently sits at about $6.50 per gallon nationally, which is nearly a dollar higher than at the end of August. As of Tuesday morning, diesel was about $6.15 in downtown Wichita.
Lowell said it’s not clear when prices could level out.
“We're certainly hopeful that we could direct that million dollars away from fuel and into teaching and learning as soon as possible,” Lowell said, “which I think is what our community wants to see as well.”
Regular unleaded gasoline is also on the rise. It’s currently at about $4.48 per gallon nationally and closer to $4.15 in Wichita.
