Schools Respond to Gas Prices

If you haven't heard, there are a handful of school districts that have implemented a four-day school week in order to cut transportation costs. I think it's an elegant solution, reducing your bus transportation budget by almost 20%. Some districts have begun bringing in students 4 days a week and making Friday a half-day workday for faculty.

In Texas, many districts hold summer school only Monday through Thursday, and this last summer some of the holdouts switched to the short week.

Recently, USA Today reported on some college campuses that are discouraging students from bringing cars to school. Some school were trying to train their students to be eco-friendly, other campuses were trying to avoid building parking garages, but some of their solutions are creative.

This fall, Ripon College in Ripon, Wis., is offering freshmen free mountain bikes, helmets and locks in exchange for a promise not to bring a car to campus. The $300-per-student cost is funded by private donations.

Other schools are running bike repair shops or bake-sharing programs. (Texas A&M tried a "Borrow-A-Bike program when I was on campus, but had to strike the program under liability concerns. I am curious how the new programs at these other campuses are different.)