Back-to-school expenses can easily add up.
But parents in one North Texas district may have to pay hundreds of dollars more so their kids can ride the bus to and from school.
The Lovejoy Independent School District made the change this summer to make up for $5.3 million in state cuts.
The district will not lose as much money as it once thought, because a school finance reform bill was passed Monday during the special session, but it will still be $3.5 million in the hole.
The district is now re-evaluating the bus fees.
At a school board meeting Wednesday, parents said charging for a service like bus rides will hurt working families.
"Nobody's going to be able to afford $350 for bus fares, you know. That just doesn't sound very reasonable to me," one parent said.
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"If you get your budget cut, you either have to decide that you're going to cut programs or you're going to have to raise fees. It's very simple economics," another parent said.
Superintendent Ted Moore told NBC 5 that because the district isn't facing such a big financial shortfall, the fees could be eliminated or reduced.
The school board expects to take up the issue again next week.
