I agree.

many of the museums in our area have gotten grants which allow this.  
The busses must be paid out of the school's fieldtrip accounts and they 
must pay a minimum of 2 hours each way.  For a 15 minute ride, a school 
is paying for 4 hours of bus time.  This is the prohibitive expense in 
many of our schools.  

While some grants will not pay for salaries or operating expenses, they 
will pay for a bus fund.  It is more common than you would think!

cmm
Christina M. Myatt
Theatrical Programming Coordinator
Putnam Museum
1717 West 12th Street
Davenport IA 52804
563.324.1054 ext. 207 (phone)
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-----Original Message-----
From: Carol Ely <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2005 12:24:01 -0400
Subject: Re: Subsidizing Buses

> >>>>>I would be *extremely* surprised if any museum has an
> ongoing bus subsidy program as you speak of. >>>>
> 
> Well, be surprised.
> 
> Historic Locust Grove is a small historic site (budget around
> $300,000/yr.) in Louisville, and for several years we've offered a
> bus
> fund to pay for transportation to the site. Schools that qualify have
> at
> least 50% of the school population on free or reduced price lunches. 
> 
> This is actually fairly easy to fund. Many local foundations want to
> support education. Individual board members have also supported the
> program when there has been a shortfall. Our Metro Council members in
> districts that benefit have given from their discretionary funds. And
> last year we did a used book sale to benefit the fund.
> 
> Donors like the fact that they are both helping us, and helping
> children
> have an opportunity they would otherwise be denied.
> 
> We charge our regular group rate when the group can pay it; but we
> have
> waived that occasionally and used the transportation funds to "pay"
> their admission (we use the unrestricted book sale money for that,
> not
> the grants).
> 
> We channel these subsidized visits to the winter months, when we have
> fewer visitors.
> 
> This works very well for us.
> 
> Carol Ely
> Historic Locust Grove
> Louisville, Kentucky
> 
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