EHS Staff and Students Affected By Falling Gas Prices

By Broderick Topil

As the new year is rung in and students and teachers alike are finally getting into the new system of a new semester, one factor is playing a role in school life noticed now more than ever. Gas prices keep falling and it appears that there is no end in sight. Now at just over $2.00 per gallon, prices haven’t been this low in Kansas since the late 1990s.

Why is gas price falling? Gas is a subcomponent of oil, and crude oil is the raw form of oil that is purchased in the unit of one barrel. When the crude oil barrel price drops, then the price of gas subsequently drops as well. The price of oil is determined in part by the actual demand of oil, the expected demand of oil, as well as the current and expected supply of it. The demand for energy and oil is directly related to the amount of economic activity happening in a certain area of the world. In peak seasons such as the dead of Winter and the dog days of Summer, demand for oil is higher to power heat and air conditioning. When producers of oil believe that the demand for their oil is going to be in great quantity, they invest more money and produce more oil.

In late 2014, a meeting between the top oil companies of the world (comprising of 40% of the total market) failed to reach an agreement on exactly how much oil can be produced to keep a high and steady price per barrel. With no limit on how much oil to produce, the world’s top oil producers flooded the supply of oil, with expectations of maximum profit. Instead, the price per barrel came tumbling by more than a 60% margin, reducing the price from $115 to merely $45.

Kansas currently has the third lowest average gas price in the nation, with Missouri ringing in as the lowest gas prices in the nation. Although the prices are still lower than normal, the prices have bottomed out and they are once again beginning to rise. Experts predict that the prices will return to normal or maybe even go to a price higher than the previous average.

Many Eudora High School teachers commute to school each morning, with several teachers coming from Lawrence, and others coming as far away as Olathe. To save money, these teachers are always looking for the lowest gas prices, but they also have tips on how to get the lowest price at the pump, even when prices are on the rise.

Austin Lauxman uses a Dillon’s Plus Card when he goes grocery shopping to acquire points to spend towards gas. For every $100 spent on groceries, you save 10 cents per gallon of gas. Points can also be acquired by purchasing gift cards, shopping at Kwik Shop, and during many times of the year, Dillons runs a ‘4 times points’ promotion. With the recent price drop in oil, Lauxman describes his savings as wanting to ‘jump for joy.’

“My tank holds around 14 gallons and my wife’s car holds about 18. We used our Dillons card and got $.70 off per gallon so it was like $1.16/gallon. We filled up both cars at the same time for $36.70,” said Lauxman.

Other teachers recommend using Hy-Vee fuel savers as well Dillons Plus Cards.

Cody Hoover is a Senior at Eudora and the price of gas was recently a major impact in his life, besides his sister being in the hospital. For a majority of the first semester, Hoover had to drive from Perry everyday to continue his education in Eudora, as well work his job, which is also located in Eudora. Before the lower price of gas came about, Hoover would stay overnight with friends, walk to work, and even stopped eating out, all in the name of saving money on gas.

When asked about the commute to Eudora, Hoover explained, “It’s exhausting, and it isn’t cheap. It definitely became a lot easier now that the price of gas is lower, but I don’t expect it to stay that low.”

Fortunately for everyone in the Hoover family, Carolyn is back in Eudora and their family no longer needs to commute from Perry.