Keeping the Road Open for Activity Trips


Districts are fighting to keep extracurricular trips alive, with some finding creative ways to keep them in the transportation budget


By Stephane Babcock


T


Thinking back to when you were a young stu-


dent, the idea of an upcoming field trip was usually something that garnered a considerable amount of excitement. Whether it was an excur- sion to the local natural history museum or a play that you did not fully understand the plot of, it was the experience that you remember. And for most students those memories began and


ended with a ride on the yellow bus. But for districts that are looking for ways to cut costs, field trips are usually one of the first headed to the chopping block. “Field trips are an excellent tool to relieve the monotony and stress of the classroom that many students experience


44 School Transportation News Magazine June 2011


throughout the year,” said Bill Wagner, transportation and warehouse director for Gadsden Elementary School Dis- trict in San Luis, Ariz. “They provide a different learning environment and can educate our students in numer- ous other areas such as community experience, wildlife, teamwork, competitiveness and health, some of these can never be experienced in the classroom.” Like many districts, Gadsden has seen its fair share


of cuts, with the state reducing the overall educa- tion budget by $300 million. Combine this with a local unemployment rate that is the second highest in the na- tion and rising fuel prices, and you have a district that is finding it more and more difficult to budget all of its


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60