$30 for a taco????

[LaurenLC]

I'm curious, what exactly are the kids learning on this $30 field trip to a restaurant?

 

[dawson5]

I just hired 2 school buses to take the 5th grade class for the 5th grade trip from school to a marina about 40 minutes away and to take them back to school when they get off the boat. The total for TWO school buses was 1400.00 for 66 kids and 4 teachers. So its 20.00 alone just for the buses- the actual trip they are going on is another 40.00 a child so per kid its 60.00- not including food!

That is high. Seriously, that is very high. I would be curious of the breakdown on that. Our bus drivers max out at $18 or 19 an hour. They can ask to do the field trip jobs or a sub can do them. Then factor in the cost of the fuel, if what I am reading is correct:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070908133609AABfSJh

It says a standard bus holds 50 gallons, I think our diesel is at $3/gal, that still doesn't add up.

It says NY under your screen name, I don't know if that is why but wow. Was it an outside contractor or through the schools? The pricing I gave was for use of district owned school buses.

As for the Amish food, this is where they went:

http://essenhaus.com/

It's in the middle of what they consider Amish country around here, I think it's actually Mennonite though.

 

[aprilgail2]

That is high. Seriously, that is very high. I would be curious of the breakdown on that. Our bus drivers max out at $18 or 19 an hour. They can ask to do the field trip jobs or a sub can do them. Then factor in the cost of the fuel, if what I am reading is correct:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070908133609AABfSJh

It says a standard bus holds 50 gallons, I think our diesel is at $3/gal, that still doesn't add up.

It says NY under your screen name, I don't know if that is why but wow. Was it an outside contractor or through the schools? The pricing I gave was for use of district owned school buses.

.

They are not our districts buses because we are not getting back until after 4 and they need the buses for regular school dismissal prior to that. They are school buses from an outside bus company and that is pretty much standard rate...we called about getting coach type buses but it was way more so we went with the school buses. Plus can't forget we also have to tip the drivers!

 

[Bunnyfeather]

All field trips have to factor in bus costs. Those of you who pay really small field trip fees for trips with busses are benefitting from healthy fundraising campaigns, active PTO/PTA, and/or some sort of outside funding for your school or class. If the trips cost too much for the parents at your school to afford, perhaps you could help with fundraising efforts to defray these costs?

As for the benefit, I think field trips are wonderful. Even going to the zoo that we go to as a family all the time, it's a different experience to go as part of a group of peers and in conjunction with classroom lessons the kids may well see things they don't notice on a fun trip with Mom and Dad.

 

[dawson5]

What I spoke of the $30 to Amish country was using a district school bus with one of our district school bus drivers. The kids go to school as normal and get back before school is out. The bus driver could do his/her normal route in the morning, then the trip, but would not be back in time for the afternoon route. Middle school is the last route.

I guess it just puts it in perspective of where we live. I know the $60 for Medieval Times included food and the greyhound-type buses. The company that drove them for that field-trip, regularly offers deals to Chicago for $40 (whether for adult field trips or for rides to Midway or O'Hare). I want to say that is round-trip also.

 

[hereyago]

For 30.00 someone better be able to give me a piece of Cancun-shoot.

DD11 had a field trip a few weeks ago, it was like 4.00 to a air and space museum in the next city-the school's buses were used.

She brought home another field trip just a couple days before school lets out. 20.00 for Jamestown on a charter bus.

1) kids who live in the area and neighboring area have all ready been to Jamestown if they lived here long enough. DD has been at least 3 or 4 times in her school career. Here is a hint: there is nothing new there.

2) 20.00 um nope. There is no reason our buses can't take them and be back in time for dismissal.

3) Our school system along with everyone else is taking cuts in the budget the teachers taking pay cut, etc, so a field trip really isn't warranted.

4) DD and I will be going to a local theme park as well as some other parents to learn about water hydraulics from the wave pool.

Kids and parents have said they don't want this field trip and voiced it to the school

 

[IDoDis]

No offense, but you couldn't pay me to eat Mexican food in the OP's area. I've learned over the years to only eat Mexican food in my home state. I've got to have authentic chile -- no fake saucy sauce. Blech!

 

[aprilgail2]

What I spoke of the $30 to Amish country was using a district school bus with one of our district school bus drivers. The kids go to school as normal and get back before school is out. The bus driver could do his/her normal route in the morning, then the trip, but would not be back in time for the afternoon route. Middle school is the last route.

.

That is why we are paying so much for the buses this trip- they get to school at 920 and the buses pick them up at 930 for the trip but we don't get back until 430 so its after all the school let out. Plus the buses wait for us, they don't leave, do other things and come back.

 

[WdwforLife]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3ZFUe_08-c&feature=related

 

[barkley]

in elementary school when dd was studying spanish they did a restaurant trip. no cost for the meal though-the school arranged with the mexican restaurant (chevy's) to come before the place opened for a tour, a demonstration of how they make the salsa (i remember the kids were so impressed with the HUGE salsa machines), and a couple of the other made from scratch items. then the restaurant gave each kid a burrito (which they got to pick from a variety of items to create). each kid went home with a coupon for a free kids meal with the purchase of an adults. from what i recall, when the upper grades went it was the same deal, only the coupon was a free appetizer with the purchase of a lunch or dinner meal.

dd's in highschool now-her spanish teacher has arranged at least 3 times this year to use the home eq. room. for the class period the kids actualy prep. and cook simple mexican food items. the kids love it-and for dd it's taught her that she can cook some items outside her comfort zone.

 

[torinsmom]

As field trip coordinator for the PreK/K classes at our school, I can tell you that the bus cost is CRAZY! We went to the strawberry patch last week. The strawberry patch charged $5 per child, but we had to charge $12 per child to cover the bus costs. When it was all said and done, we should have charged $13 per child, because the school had to pick up the additional cost; our guesstimation was not high enough.

The district pays field trip bus drivers $18.50/hour for driving and also for sitting and waiting while we are participating. In addition, we had to pay $1.50 mileage fee per mile for 4 buses.

So, for 75 kids, the strawberry patch cost was $375.

The bus drivers made at least $74 each or $296.

Mileage was 40 miles per bus, so $60 x 4 buses or $240

Total was $911 or $12.11 per child.


Drives me CRAZY!

 

[Elmo9607]

When I was in high school, our Spanish Club would make a yearly trip to a really yummy local mexican restaurant. Transportation was provided, but everyone paid OOP for their food once we got there. I always loved that system and it worked great.