The Nespelem Tribune

Schools Hold Down Transportation Costs
County Busses Hauled 1617 Students Last Year At Average Cost of $21.44 Each

OLYMPIA, May 28. - Washington school districts transport twice as many pupils today as they did eight years ago, but the cost remains the same.

A survey by the department of education today disclosed that 71,940 students in 895 districts were transported last school year at a cost of $1,331,633. In 1927, 737 districts spent $1,315,425 on this service for 33,831 pupils.

Average Cost Given

During the same period, the average yearly cost per pupil was reduced from $38.88 to $18.51. In 1924, the average yearly cost for transporting 22,017 pupils reached $41.03.

Harkening back to the days of the little red schoolhouse, the department found that during the year 1910-11, 62 districts furnished transportation to 1,855 pupils, using 96 wagons, at a total cost of $44,523, or an average cost of $34.75 for each pupil.

The wagons were a far cry from the modern, speedy vehicles in use today. Most of them were lumber wagons, with board seats down the sides and overhead coverings of canvas. Some wagons had springs to make the ride more comfortable and a few heated by coke-burning footwarmers.

Adams county led in annual cost per pupil last year, with $70.43. Yakima had the least expense $9.09, followed by Whatcom with $12.94.

Okanogan County Listed

The average cost in Okanogan county was $21.44 per pupil. The schools in the county transported 1617 pupils to school from distances more than two miles from school and 176 distances less than two miles.

School busses from this county covered 76 routes and turned in an average round trip of 1815 miles.