Fuel Prices Affecting Schools' Field Trips

HONOLULU -- The rising price of fuel is having a ripple affect through the entire economy, even affecting kids in school.

KITV's Daryl Huff reported that some schools are coping with high transportation costs by cancelling field trips.

While gas prices have gone up about 60 cents in a year, the price of diesel has gone up about $1 in the same period, which is what most school buses need. Those prices are passed on to schools.

"It's really been hard on us. We've had to cut back on field trips because it costs us so much money," Sunset Beach Elementary School fourth-grade teacher Rex Dubiel-Midkiff said.

Going to the zoo was a big treat for the students, who said they love field trips, but those trips are endangered by the price as school bus rates rise due to fuels and other costs.

"We used to pay $110 for a field trip from Sunset Beach to Honolulu and back. This bus cost us $332," Dubiel-Midkiff said.

Officials said the rising costs are trickled down to the kids, who had to pay $7.50 for the field trip to the zoo -- more than double what is was a year ago. Lucky for the kids, the zoo only charges 50 cents for youths.

Like everything else associated with higher fuel costs, fewer school field trips could affect the money flowing into places like the zoo and other cultural attractions the schools patronize.

SBES officials said they canceled trips to the Bishop museum, a play and a botanical garden because with admissions, those trips would have cost kids $10 each.

"If we go to Bishop Museum, or if we go to a play, it would take it up to $10, and to a lot of the children, $10 is a lot of money," Dubiel-Midkiff said.

Schools and attractions said they are trying to adjust to the high prices. the Laie school said it uses convoys of parents.

Waikiki Aquarium said it's inviting larger groups so schools can send more than one grade at a time and make better use of their buses.