Decatur schools urging gas conservation

Here’s the latest twist to the gas crunch: Decatur city school officials are asking teachers to telecommute for an in-service day this month and they’re floating the idea of asking neighborhood gas stations to send school employees to the front of the pump during dry spells.

The thinking is outlined in a memo issued this week by Decatur schools Superintendent Phyllis Edwards.

The recent gas shortage, Edwards said, had led school officials to “examine the possibility of working with neighborhood gas stations” to set up a schedule for school employees to gas up.

The memo included several other conservation ideas for the small school system — six schools within the city’s four square miles — to minimize disruption from gas shortages.

“We have determined that over half of [city school] staff members live outside our zip code area,” Edwards said, adding that the system planned to start a “car-pooling list” for teachers who wanted to share a ride.

Columbus Day is already a day off for everyone. The next day, Oct. 14, teachers won’t drive to campus but instead will review assignments and turn in grades from home.

Edwards said support staff will be given that day off — and campuses closed for the four-day weekend — “to conserve fuel and energy needed to maintain our buildings.”