ATLANTA — The Georgia Board of Education superintendent is calling on the federal government to allow schools to cover transportation costs for their students as fuel prices rise.
State School Superintendent Richard Woods has issued a statement in response to escalating fuel costs after President Joe Biden announced a ban on Russian oil imports Tuesday afternoon.
Woods called on the U.S. Department of Education to allow school districts to cover the cost of rising fuel costs with federal K-12 relief funds. Woods said the proposal is in an effort to "directly cover the cost of transporting our students."
"As we stand committed to keeping schools open and learning going, it’s essential that school districts be given the flexibility to keep up with rising diesel costs due to unfolding world events," he wrote in the statement.
Gov. Brian Kemp has already announced he is starting to work with local legislators to temporarily drop the fuel tax in Georgia in efforts to provide gas price relief.
According to AAA, the most expensive Georgia metro markets are in Brunswick at $3.94, Macon at $3.91, and Valdosta at $3.90. The least expensive include Rome at $3.77, Gainesville at $3.79, and $3.81 in Dalton.
In Atlanta, the average is around $3.87. Experts at GasBuddy report the cheapest station in Atlanta was priced at $3.03 on Sunday, while the most expensive sat at a whopping $4.89.
However, the issue isn't exclusive to Georgia. The entire nation is feeling the pressure in their pockets due to rising gas costs. GasBuddy said the national average price of gasoline had risen 46.5 cents per gallon in just the last week.
Woods asserted that relief is necessary for Georgia school districts, specifically ones in rural areas of the Peach State.