KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
The Kodiak Island Borough School District is benefitting from the recent decline in fuel costs, and it’s helping offset the decline in enrollment numbers. The district recently completed its winter budget revision, which was approved at its meeting Monday evening. While the district had budgeted for high fuel costs at the beginning of the year, it is now able continue to fund programs it might otherwise not have been able to.
Luke Fulp, director of finance for the school district, said that entering the school year, the district was concerned about the uncertainty of then high and rising fuel costs.
— (Fuel 1 30 sec. "We were going into the school … is a dollar fifty.")
Fulp said that schools benefitted from the drop in fuel costs, because the district’s budgetary estimates at the beginning of the school year were conservatively high.
— (Fuel 2 27 sec. "We had budgeted three dollars … for other areas this year.")
Fulp said a drop in enrollment numbers and the resulting decreased state funding contributed to the budgetary concerns, and that the decline in fuel costs helps alleviate the problem and allows the district to continue funding all the programs it had hoped to.
— (Fuel 3 32 sec. "This year, what we’ve seen … with regard to the budget.")
Fulp said he is cautiously optimistic about the price of fuel as it remains now and hopes lower costs will continue to benefit the school district.
— (Fuel 4 7 sec. "We’re happy with the fuel prices … it looks good for us.")
Fulp said the school district completes a monthly revision of fuel prices based on the average costs plus a differential for it being supplied to Kodiak.
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