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Hurricane Katrina

We can get your kids to school, officials say

That's more than Pinellas and some other districts can say for certain, as school bus fuel reserves run low.

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK and DONNA WINCHESTER
Published September 2, 2005

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TAMPA - Unlike 13 other Florida counties, including Pinellas, the Hillsborough school district says it has enough fuel to bus students for the foreseeable future.

The school district has a dozen stations that can hold about 315,000 gallons of diesel fuel and gasoline. At this time there are no shortages, and suppliers have agreed to make delivery a top priority, spokesman Steve Hegarty said Thursday.

If Hillsborough school officials have a concern, Hegarty said, it's about rising prices.

Last year, the School Board spent $5.8-million on gas for buses, and this year it budgeted $9-million. Top administrators said that may be $3.2-million shy of the real cost. They are looking for ways to cover it.

"We are going to look at everything that is noninstructional," Hegarty said.

The situation is more dire in other school districts, where the gas supply is so tight that superintendents aren't sure how they'll get kids to school next Tuesday.

Pinellas superintendent Clayton Wilcox says his district has only 6,500 gallons of diesel in reserve. With the average school bus getting just 8 miles to the gallon, that's barely enough to cover the district's 750 or so daily routes.

Wilcox was expecting a delivery late Thursday, but that shipment was late. He said he will try to keep the buses running even if it means having drivers line up at area gas stations.

"We're hopeful that if we partner with some of our friends and colleagues at other community agencies, we will have enough fuel on hand," he said. "But if we don't, over the course of this weekend, we will have to make a call."

Closing schools is not an option, Wilcox said - parents depend on them to care for their children while they are at work.

The situation is better in Manatee County, which has 8,000 gallons in its tanks and a delivery scheduled.

Even so, the district canceled until further notice all bus rides to field trips that are not set by contract, spokeswoman Margi Nanney said.

"We're looking at other districts that are worse than we are," Nanney said.

One of those is Orange County, where officials said parents might not see buses arriving at their usual stops next week. Orange gets diesel from points north, spokesman Lin Wright said, and officials want to take precautions in case deliveries are disrupted.

"We are critically low," Wright said. "We are letting folks know we may not be able to provide day-to-day operations. . . . We're not crying wolf. We're just letting folks know in case it happens, be prepared."

In a news conference Thursday, Gov. Jeb Bush praised districts that curtailed unnecessary travel. He has called on Floridians to conserve gasoline when possible.

Education Commissioner John Winn gave a lengthy list of districts facing gas shortages, including Pinellas. Said Bush, "It's our expectation that we're going to get supplies for them."

Delco Oil in DeLand is one of the companies trying to fill the gap. Already the primary supplier for Hernando, Pasco and several other counties, Delco has fielded calls from Orange, Volusia and Seminole counties, among others.

Company president Steve DeLuca chided districts that relied on out-of-state fuel brokers for their gas and found themselves short.

"It's their own fault," DeLuca said. "We went through this last hurricane (season). Last year, it was our civic duty (to help). This year, it questions common sense."

Pasco officials said they were pleased with Delco's performance. Transportation director Mike Park figured the district has an eight- to 10-day supply, and said Delco has made deliveries around the clock.

But it's an open question how long that can last.

"Our supplier said he never knows when he can get fuel," Park said. "It may well be that we run out. But that hasn't happened yet."

Districts that have local suppliers face a potentially tough time, especially if the demand for gas on the streets remains panicky, said Aaron Evenson, general manager of Ward Oil in Tampa, which supplies the Hillsborough district.

"I've been fighting for fuel," Evenson said. "We're trying to keep the schools above water."

He said he is trying to persuade school officials to use biodiesel, to save money and boost supply. He also plans to come in over the weekend to get additional gas to top off the district's tanks for next week.

"It's rough," Evenson said. "They are the top priority, to keep them going."

Times staff writers James Thorner and Donna Winchester contributed to this report.

[Last modified September 2, 2005, 02:15:35]