Budget constraints could affect Ellsworth school buses

  • Published
  • 28th Bomb WIng Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AFB, S.D. --  Air Force-wide budget cuts, which are rapidly becoming hard realities for all Airmen, have the potential to force Ellsworth to discontinue school bus service in order to fund mission essential items.

For more than 15 years, Ellsworth has supplied school bus services to base children using funds from the existing budget. This year, Ellsworth received $2.98 million less than the previous years' budget. So, base leadership is actively pursuing alternative options to fund the service.

"Our challenge is that with the shrinking Air Force budgets, our senior leaders have to make some tough decisions," said Col. Bruce Emig, 28th Bomb Wing vice commander. "It's strictly an issue of not having the funds anymore that we used to have."

During this current fiscal year alone, we've cut more than $450,000 through termination of fitness center contracts, reduction in custodial services and grounds maintenance, and changes to library services, the dining facility and transient alert programs, he said.

"Busing is another one of those items we have to look at," said the colonel. "For one school year, it takes approximately $350,000 for Ellsworth to purchase this bus contract. So it's fairly expensive.

"Mission priority is something we have to protect and so we've been struggling with ways to make those efficiencies where we can."

Senior base leadership said the rumor that service will stop March 1 isn't necessarily true.

"We hope to be able to continue bus service beyond March 1," said the colonel. "We are exhausting every means we possibly can to look for funding for this.

"We understand busing is a huge issue with our families, with our spouses of our deployed personnel and single parents. Taking care of our people here at Ellsworth is a huge priority for this wing."

There is no Air Force regulation to require the base to supply buses. Ellsworth is actually only one of two bases in Air Combat Command to bus children to school.

Danielle Huffaker, a military spouse whose children use the buses, said losing the service would be a major factor in her family's lives.

"I volunteer during the week and usually when the kids get on the bus, I go home, get in my van and go to where I volunteer," said Ms. Huffaker. "If I have an appointment, need to take a friend somewhere or if I have something else that has to be done in the morning, I can go do that right now. If we don't have the buses it will be one less thing I'll be able to do."

Ms. Huffaker added that if the tough decision is made to terminate bus service, friends and neighbors will need to pull together.

"(My children) will ride the bus until they can't ride it anymore," she said. "And then since we have three (children), we'll see if anyone else needs a ride and try to carpool as much as we can."

Colonel Emig said a final decision has not been made but is optimistic about a solution.

The vice wing commander, who also serves as an associate member of the Douglas school board, said the base has a "great relationship" with the neighboring district and Ellsworth is actively combining efforts to find a workable solution.

In the meantime, Ellsworth's senior leadership stresses nothing is final yet.

"Let us work through this issue," said Colonel Emig. "We understand the urgency and priority of it and we're working it very diligently.

"I'm personally involved overseeing this project to figure out a way to continue busing at least through the end of this school year."