There was a half a million dollars budgeted just for putting gas in school buses for the new school year. That's what some schools in Perry County are facing this new school year as diesel prices remain well above $4 a gallon.

Transportation officials with the Perry County school system say they've already cut down on the number of bus routes to get kids to school in the morning. Now officials with both Perry County and Hazard Independent say once they get to school, they may not be going on a lot of field trips.

The buses are parked and the students are in their classrooms. It’s a scenario they may need to get used to. That’s because school officials say buses use diesel, which is even more expensive than regular gas.

“Right now with diesel prices over $4 a gallon, you know it's not cheap to move a bus whether you have 10 kids on it or you have 35 kids on it. It costs just the same,” Perry County Central High School Principal Estill Neace said.

Perry County school officials say last year they budgeted $375,000 to gas up the buses. This year it's $550,000.

“That's a big increase and a big lick to our transportation department you know, budgeting a half a million dollars just for fuel,” Perry County Schools Director of Transportation and Maintenance Johnny Wooton said.

That’s why the department charges the school a dollar more for every mile on field trips.

“The school has to pay for those field trips. It's not donated fuel or donated bus driver time, so yeah, they're starting to look at what field trips are needed and budgeting that for themselves too,” Wooton said.

That includes trips for groups like the drama, speech, and academic teams and band. Now they're all fund raising, competing less and traveling shorter distances.

“They can use that money not only for uniforms, instruments, sheet music but also for diesel fuel and the bus driver to take them to competition,” Principal Neace said.

The situation is the same for organizations at Hazard High School.

“It does cause us to have to go out and do car washes and bake sales and yard sales. Those types of things to be able to have enough money to fund the trips,” Hazard High School Academic Team Coach Sherri Cornett said.

Leaders at both schools say allowing the students to travel is a crucial part of high school and they'll do everything they can to keep the kids on the road.

Principal Neace says this year they're hosting the regional drama tournament to save on gas costs. The Hazard High School academic team might host some competitions this year, too.