The high cost of fuel isn't affecting just those of us who gas up our cars each week. School buses are back on the road, and the cost of transporting Santa Fe's children to school has ballooned dramatically.

In addition to the impact on the daily school commute, increased fuel prices also are putting the squeeze on field trips.

For many years, the Partners in Education Foundation has helped teachers by raising money to pay for field-trip bus transportation. Last year alone, Partners paid for buses for 1,354 classes, from kindergarten through high school, to visit a wide variety of places of educational and cultural interest in and around Santa Fe.

Thanks to funding from the city of Santa Fe's Children & Youth Commission, the Friends of the Public Library, Hansen's Beverages and a host of private donors, students visited museums, libraries, the Española Wildlife Center, El Rancho de las Golondrinas, the Genoveva Chavez Community Center, organic farms, national monuments, the Roundhouse, The University of New Mexico, the Lensic Performing Arts Center, and many more exciting — and educational — destinations. But as costs have risen, Partners is having to cut back on the number of trips it offers.

Last year, an in-town field trip cost $55 per bus. This year, that cost has risen to $75, a 36 percent increase. In past years, Partners offered teachers up to four in-town trips per school year; this year we are cutting it down to three trips.

In a survey of teachers who took advantage of Partners' program last year, 99 percent said the trip was connected to their curriculum and 98 percent rated field trips as a very important educational tool to supplement learning that takes place in the classroom.

For the students, a field trip can be much more than time away from the classroom; it can introduce Santa Fe's children to local resources they might never experience otherwise. Many teachers have told us that a field trip was the first opportunity their students had to see a performance at the Lensic or to visit one of Santa Fe's wonderful museums.

Field trips can even change a life. A 12th-grade student from Santa Fe High School said, "I'm writing to thank Partners in Education and their donors for funding our trip to Santa Fe Community College. It made me realize I do want to go to college. Without that trip I may have never realized I wanted to go. Thank you so much!"

If you would like to sponsor one or more field trips for this school year, please call Partners in Education at 474-0240. And remember to drive safely as our children make their way to and from school.

Ruthanne Greeley is the executive director for Partners in Education Foundation for the Santa Fe Public Schools. Founded in 1988, PIE works to improve the quality of public-school education by linking the community with its schools, providing teachers and their students with the materials, equipment and services they need. For more information, contact 474-0240 or rgreeley@sfpartnersineducation.org. Correspondence can be sent to: Partners in Education Foundation, PO Box 23374, Santa Fe, NM 87502.