WASHINGTON — Children will walk farther to the bus stop, pay more for lunch, study from old textbooks and wear last year’s clothes. Field trips? Forget about it.
This year, it could cost nearly twice as much to fuel the yellow buses that rumble to school each morning. At the same time, costs for air conditioning and heating, cafeteria food and classroom supplies are mounting, all because of the shaky economy. The extra costs present a tricky math problem: Where can schools subtract to keep costs under control?
In rural Minnesota, one district is skipping classes every Monday. On the other days, classes will be about 10 minutes longer.
Parents have been cutting back all summer. For back-to-school clothes, Heidi McLean of Eureka, Calif., says she shopped at outlets and discount chains for her teen son and daughter. As for supplies, Lenelle Cruse, state Parent-Teacher Association president in Florida, said last year’s budget was so tight, a Jacksonville school had a toilet- paper drive.
