CHILLICOTHE — Ross County school districts say the rising price of diesel is eating into their budgets this fall, with bus fleets costing thousands of dollars more to run than a year ago even though they are buying about the same amount of fuel.
Ohio gasoline prices topped $4 a gallon in September, up from about $3 a year earlier, and the national average for diesel has climbed above $6.50 a gallon, up from $3.74 last year. Most school buses run on diesel, so districts feel that increase on every route to school, sporting event and field trip.
In the Southeastern Local district, about 7,500 gallons cost $30,813.75 in August 2026, compared with $21,364.35 for a nearly identical amount in August 2025 — an increase of more than $9,000 in a single month.
Paint Valley Local Schools spent about $63,858 on fuel in fiscal 2026 and now expects fiscal 2027 fuel to top $106,000, an increase of about $42,864. Chillicothe City Schools recently paid $5.96 a gallon for diesel and $3.93 for gasoline, and had spent $30,622 on fuel through September, up from $24,196 at the same point last year. Treasurer Nick Rose noted that schools are not immune to inflation, and that higher fuel and utility costs can squeeze the rest of a district budget.
