Board approves fee for bus rides

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Parents of Greencastle High School students who play sports can expect to shell out a little more cash this season.

On Wednesday night, members of the school board voted 4 to 1 in favor of charging each athlete a one-time, flat fee of $12.50 to ride the school bus to and from games during the season.

Students who participate in more than one sport will be required to pay the fee for each sport they play, school officials said.

Greencastle Superintendent Bob Green said the fee is necessary to help the corporation meet rising fuel costs. On Tuesday, he told the school board that fuel costs for the corporation are averaging $5,000 more per month over last year.

"The dollars are not there to cover all the things we used to do," Green said. "In my opinion, the transportation fund cannot be stretched."

GHS Athletic Director Scott Knapp said the estimated cost of fuel for sporting events for the year is a little more than $5,000. There were 443 student athletes at the high school last year, which is roughly how the school board arrived at the $12.50 fee.

Students at Greencastle could have had to pay up to $35 each if school board members hadn't tweaked the proposal given to them at the beginning of Wednesday night's meeting.

The original proposal called for students to not only pay for fuel but to pay for the bus drivers' salaries as well.

The combined total of fuel plus the bus drivers' pay was a little more than $15,000, which meant students would have had to pay about $35 each -- something board members said they would not support.

They said they did not think the students should not have to bear the cost for bus drivers too.

"In my heart of hearts, I don't think they (the students) should have to cover the whole department (meaning bus driver fees)," board member Jack Berry said.

Barb Bryan agree, saying that while she wished the fee for students was not necessary, it is a "sign of the times."

"This is a situation that many other schools are battling," Knapp added.

He said one school corporation in Indiana is charging its athletes $60 to ride the bus to and from games.

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  • Should we assume this will be for all extra activities not just athletics. I would think this will affect any club or group that will be using the buses for field trips and meetings. Don't make it just the athlete's responsibility.

    -- Posted by familycounts on Thu, Aug 14, 2008, at 8:28 AM
  • This has to be the most RIDICULOUS thing I've ever heard of!! Will these athletes parents have the option of taking the athlete themselves?? I mean most parents are going to be driving to the games anyway! Just wondering! I thought it was crazy when I found out a I had to pay $5.00 for my child to be able to drive to school (another Putnam Co. school) you multiply each student driving times 5 bucks, that's alot of money! Sure, they had to buy the little plastic ID tag for students to hang on their rear view mirrors but come on, they are collecting alot of $$'s! Go figure. Even though my children do not attend Greencastle, I feel sorry those of you who do. In my opinion this is just another way to make sending our children to public schools even more difficult. It's already expensive enough!! Home schooling is sounding better everyday!!!!!!!!!

    -- Posted by justlivinmylife on Thu, Aug 14, 2008, at 8:45 AM
  • We shouldn't be giving them more ideas. The question about wether your child should have to ride the bus or be taken by a parent....this isn't a very resposible question. Of course your child would have to ride the bus its part of being on the "TEAM". As parents it is our job to show our kids to accept rules and policy not to be nasty to one another. As times get tougher for everyone we need to remember our responsiblilty as parents doesn't change. It only gets harder. If we get carried away with fees our children will not be able to participate in special activities.

    -- Posted by chicagogirl on Thu, Aug 14, 2008, at 9:38 AM
  • This is a huge problem with a lot of schools in Indiana. You need to look back at our man Mitch and see what he did to the schools and local govement in order for him to look good and balance the state budget. What happen to " We The People, For The People, Of The People, By The People "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    -- Posted by giveadamntaxpayer on Thu, Aug 14, 2008, at 10:16 AM
  • Blaming someone seems like a favorite past time here. The problem is fuel costs. It is clearly stated that that is the reason. The main problem is school buses run off of diesel. Diesel is an average of a $1 more this year than last. Not sur how it is the governors falt for greencasle having to charge $12.50 a kid to go to sports games. I can remember as a kid if we wanted to go to a game we rode a "fan bus" for $1. How is this much worse than that? It's about the same, if not less. I would say the average kid is in atleast 2 sports each year. Looking at the footbal schedule this year they have 4 away games, plus the sectional games. Basketball has more than that. I'm sure any reasonable parent will see the benefit of this vs what could of been the case, i.e. large fees on top of what they pay to be in sports. They aren't making all kids pay this to ride the bus to school. In response to the first statement it only mentions athletics in the article, my assumption is due to they use the buses the most. Band and choir dont use it as much. And as for the "We the people" comment. It is a democracy, it was voted on and passed. If you dont like that then dont vote for that person this time. Also I didnt go to GHS but 15 years ago when I drove to school we had to paya $5 register your car fee, everyone does it, helps pay for the tags.

    -- Posted by quitcherbitchin on Thu, Aug 14, 2008, at 11:33 AM
  • I watched the news this morning and I saw a GHS student say she felt the athletics were being targeted, I saw a parent state that his family had 2 kids in 5 sports and this was going to cut into his finances. Well to respond to that yes the athletics are being targeted, think about it it is the teams that are taking the bus. As to the family finances I have lived in Greencastle for 45 years and have never had a kid on the athletics teams yet my taxes have helped pay for the buses and this was not by my choice. My daughter gratuated 29 years ago and I still pay taxes to the school and if I can get a little relief by a transportation fee I'm all for it.

    -- Posted by Trying hard on Thu, Aug 14, 2008, at 12:27 PM
  • Before you go to vote on Nov.4 find out which of the candidates wants fully funded schools. This is the only way anything will change.

    Be informed.

    -- Posted by paying attention on Thu, Aug 14, 2008, at 2:06 PM
  • The money could be taken out of the athletic fund like other schools do. When the athletes use the buses it comes out of the athletics. When the band and choir uses the buses it comes out of the music department fund. It needs to be consistent for it to work for all involved. Look at the attendance at the home football and basketball games and try and figure out how much money they are taking in.

    -- Posted by familycounts on Thu, Aug 14, 2008, at 2:23 PM
  • In response to the "take the money out of the athletic funds-" those funds are stretched to the limit. Are any parents paying for uniforms (beyond undergarments)? Has anyone priced athletic uniforms recently (for any sport?). Officials have to be paid for, and like it or not there are really only 2 revenue generating sports at GHS-football and basketball. The gates for those games have to support the other sports that aren't as prosperous. GHS does everything it can to offer a first-class experience for its students. The only IHSAA sanctioned sport not offered at GHS is gymnastics. Cutting the number of sports offered would help, but who will support that? Most schools are charging a one-time fee of $30 to $60 for athletes. And yes, all groups are affected-not just sports. You will likely see few field trips out of the high school as teachers were told Wednesday that students would have to foot the entire cost of bus transportation, including driver salary at a minimum 3 hours. No teachers will want to pass that on to the students.

    -- Posted by gocubs on Thu, Aug 14, 2008, at 4:06 PM
  • What about taking the kids themselves? I think if they don't ride the bus, they shouldn't have to pay.

    And by the way, just who is the school board answerable to anyway? Who appoints them and why aren't they elected? I'd really be interested to find out.

    -- Posted by FAW on Thu, Aug 14, 2008, at 6:04 PM
  • I have lived in Indiana for 6 years now and the one thing I have noticed that did not occur when I lived in Texas and Alabama is there are more fee's for more things than any place I have ever lived. I've gotten used to it so whats another $12.50 for my child to participate in a sporting event. How about the band students though. I have never lived anywhere that the band did not travel to all the football games, home and away, and did not do some type of half-time show. Is Indiana that out of sorts that they get all hyped about sports and deny the other students their rights? My son plays football and runs track. My other kids were in the band though. Have you not seen the T-shirt that says "Tonight the football team will be performing before and after the band's show?" I say let the band students have the same rights as the sports students.

    -- Posted by Jahaya on Thu, Aug 14, 2008, at 11:30 PM
  • I have an idea, how about blaming the rust on my yard on Mitch or George?? I thought this was about charging students (parents) for riding a bus to sporting events. The fuel crisis is real, so I supposed that is Mitch's fault as well. You might want to read about the sand oil in Canada and why the idiots will not or are trying to stop the renovating of our refinery in northern Indiana. And oh yea, this is while the majority of liberals are on vacation in Washington.

    -- Posted by bearcat on Fri, Aug 15, 2008, at 6:45 AM
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