Image courtesy of Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
As I’ve shown before, school districts are often tempted to do insane things to manage to work within shrinking budgets, such as cancelling bus services or attempting to charge parents a fee for school bus service. Without fail, these types of actions are met with strong resistance including protests, media attention, and even court cases.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if there were small practical ways to cut the waste from the budget without resorting to extreme actions?
I can’t speak for other areas of schooling, but there are absolutely easy ways to cut down on costs and waste without sacrificing service. For example, Douglas County School District from Colorado managed to save $15,000 in fuel in just four-weeks by just encouraging drivers to cut down on idling times.
See how they did it in the report from John Horton. But, keep in mind, cutting down on idling isn’t the only way to save. Alternative fuels, improved maintenance schedules, and smart bus routing all serve to practically improve your fleet’s efficiency, which almost always leads to savings.
