Last year, the Goldman Sachs investment firm in New York predicted oil would reach $105 a barrel by February 2008. Oil hit $109 a barrel on March 11, 2008. Now, Goldman Sachs is predicting oil will hit $200 a barrel before 2008 ends. These costs are going to play havoc with school budgets because of huge busing costs.
Most of us never question the costs of the large yellow school buses hauling kids here and there. Often they are almost empty. As oil goes up in price, school districts are going to face budget crackups because of busing. To continue widespread busing will require huge tax increases - just as oil costs are slamming taxpayers to the mat, too.
As the costs of driving to work, home heating, and food, which requires transport, go through the roof, taxpayers are not going to be in a mood to pay higher property or income taxes for school busing. We have not mentioned the skyrocketing costs of health care as another sweetener of the mood of taxpayers. Busing as usual is over.
Many school districts seem to live in a business-as-usual dreamland. We are having an oil shock to the economy. The rising price of gas at the pump is pulling the economy into a recession, or worse. Yet, many school district continue to hype building sprees that will create crushing school taxes when busing costs soon explode.
The time is coming soon when busing costs could compete with salaries and benefits for teachers as the largest item in school budgets. Meanwhile, there is hardly a ripple in the media or government about this coming budget crackup in school districts. The folks in charge of schooling seem to be driving into the future looking into rearview mirrors.
Our consolidated schools reflect the now outdated factory model for doing business. The Industrial Revolution promoted centralization as the cost-effective model for production. School districts aped this model because the low costs of oil allowed them to transport "raw materials" to central, consolidated locations for "processing" until now.
The Information Age model is decentralized networking that uses technology to share and manage resources. Students no longer need to travel to a central location to use a library, an old rationale for consolidated schools. Today, the Internet brings the library to students, "just in time," ready when and where they are. The Internet trumps oil costs.
The pain of energy costs to taxpayers could become gain if we take time to rethink and restructure schooling. Perhaps decentralized country schools will make a comeback. They are close to the customer and do not require costly busing. School budgets face crackups because of oil costs.
"When tackled, fall forward."
Most of us never question the costs of the large yellow school buses hauling kids here and there. Often they are almost empty. As oil goes up in price, school districts are going to face budget crackups because of busing. To continue widespread busing will require huge tax increases - just as oil costs are slamming taxpayers to the mat, too.
As the costs of driving to work, home heating, and food, which requires transport, go through the roof, taxpayers are not going to be in a mood to pay higher property or income taxes for school busing. We have not mentioned the skyrocketing costs of health care as another sweetener of the mood of taxpayers. Busing as usual is over.
Many school districts seem to live in a business-as-usual dreamland. We are having an oil shock to the economy. The rising price of gas at the pump is pulling the economy into a recession, or worse. Yet, many school district continue to hype building sprees that will create crushing school taxes when busing costs soon explode.
The time is coming soon when busing costs could compete with salaries and benefits for teachers as the largest item in school budgets. Meanwhile, there is hardly a ripple in the media or government about this coming budget crackup in school districts. The folks in charge of schooling seem to be driving into the future looking into rearview mirrors.
Our consolidated schools reflect the now outdated factory model for doing business. The Industrial Revolution promoted centralization as the cost-effective model for production. School districts aped this model because the low costs of oil allowed them to transport "raw materials" to central, consolidated locations for "processing" until now.
The Information Age model is decentralized networking that uses technology to share and manage resources. Students no longer need to travel to a central location to use a library, an old rationale for consolidated schools. Today, the Internet brings the library to students, "just in time," ready when and where they are. The Internet trumps oil costs.
The pain of energy costs to taxpayers could become gain if we take time to rethink and restructure schooling. Perhaps decentralized country schools will make a comeback. They are close to the customer and do not require costly busing. School budgets face crackups because of oil costs.
"When tackled, fall forward."
