With gas prices rising and rising, are school districts feeling the effects? The Brownsville school district did not wait. They took a proactive approach two years ago. Their current budget for transportation is 1.5 million dollars, which will be enough for the remainder of this school year.

Filling up a school bus is a monster. It takes more than 3-hundred-50 dollars to fill up each school bus in Brownsville. And, they own 3-hundred of them. These buses need to be fueled twice a week.

Transportation director for the district José Hector Chirinos says the district pays about 50-thousand dollars weekly just to fill these bad boys up, but even though gas prices have sky-rocketed, the district hasn't changed a thing

“We haven't had to change any of our routes we continue to service the school district, the students with the same trips and routes.”

Chirinos says the district is still within its budget of 1.5 million dollars... the budget changed two years ago. It went up 3-hundred thousand dollars for any extra expenditures, like gas.

“We saw this increase coming, we didn't know to what extent it was going to happen, we budgeted accordingly for this year.”

But if gas prices keep rising the way they have, Chirinos says he'll do anything in his power to prevent cutting down trips for students or athletes.

“We need to provide whatever we have to do, we’ll continue to provide services for the students.”

Cutting down student services is the last resort, but he says making shorter trips is something the district may be forced to look in to.

One taxpayer says he doesn't mind having his tax dollars going to school buses...

“We all have to cooperate for our students, it's for the district. I think it's good, as long as it's helping our students.”