If you think it costs a lot to fill your gas tank, check out West Fargo School District's bill at the pump.

These days it costs about $200 to fill up a bus.

";It really hits home when you look at the individual bills,"; said Brad Redmond, West Fargo's transportation director. ";That's when you realize how much it's going to hurt.";

School districts in the region expected high gas costs, but nobody dreamed diesel fuel prices would stay as high as they are.

On Monday, the average price in North Dakota was $3.19 a gallon. Diesel fuel reached a record high last week when it hit an average of $3.35 a gallon, said Gene LaDoucer, spokesman for North Dakota AAA.

Diesel fuel prices haven't dropped like gasoline because of supply and demand, he said. After hurricanes hit the Gulf Coast this fall, the industry concentrated on fixing refineries for gasoline and home heating fuel. Prices are expected to stay high through the end of the year, he said.

Those dollar signs are stretching school budgets and forcing schools to reach into their fund balances - dollars that could be used for cash flow and emergencies.

When Redmond set his budget last spring, he estimated paying $2.14 per gallon. Even with a 24-cent break on every gallon - schools don't pay state sales tax and the terms on West Fargo fuel contract take cents off every gallon - the district pays well above that.

He budgeted $135,000 for fuel but expects it will be closer to $190,000.

Kindred School District is thankful it dropped a bus route last spring because of a driver shortage.

";That's been a natural savings for us,"; said Superintendent Steve Hall. ";But we still know we'll overspend our budget.";

The district budgeted $52,000 for gas and oil for all of its vehicles - a 27 percent increase from last year. Hall estimates the actual bill will fall in the $60,000 range. Kindred's buses travel about 800 miles each day.

Buses average between four and eight miles to the gallon, school officials said.

Barnesville, Minn., contracts for busing services, but the district pays for diesel fuel costs when prices rise above $2.10 per gallon, said Superintendent Steve Jordahl.

The district budgeted $15,000 for extra fuel costs. So far, a third of it is spent, he said.

The Richland 44 School District, which includes schools in Abercrombie, N.D., and Colfax, set its diesel fuel budget at $25,000. In the past month, the district has spent $5,000, said Superintendent Wayne Ulven.

The district's buses travel about 530 miles a day, which doesn't include trips for extracurricular activities.

To help lower costs, the district carpools with neighboring schools that might be heading to the same place. For example, the district's speech students recently shared a bus with Wahpeton.

";We make sure we're not sending a bus that's half-full if we don't have to,"; Ulven said. ";It's about watching the pennies.";

If diesel prices stay high, the superintendent can see cutting non-academic field trips in the spring.

";When you run a school, you take care of your kids first,"; he said. ";Then you try to keep the district in the black.";

Help for districts that don't have healthy fund balances may not arrive anytime soon.

The North Dakota Council of Educational Leaders recently adopted a resolution asking the organization's staff to lobby legislators for relief.

Doug Johnson, NDCEL's executive director, is currently surveying districts to compile information for legislators.

Only a special session could release funds to help North Dakota schools with high transportation costs, he said.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Erin Hemme Froslie at (701) 241-5534