Central Texas school districts are facing sharply higher costs to fuel their buses, with Hays Consolidated Independent School District warning it could spend about $200,000 above its transportation budget if diesel prices stay elevated. Hays CISD spent nearly $1 million on diesel for buses during the last school year, district spokesperson Tim Savoy said. The district budgeted $1.2 million for fuel this year to provide a cushion, but Savoy said prices could use up that reserve and push spending beyond the budget. The district paid $2.44 per gallon around this time last year. In the most recent month, it paid $5.13 per gallon, Savoy said. Austin ISD is also anticipating a substantial increase. The district estimates fuel costs will rise by $1.9 million this year, according to a presentation it posted online. Jaimie Brito, executive director of refining and oil products for Dow Jones Energy, said the average diesel price was in the mid-$6 range nationally and about $5.50 in Texas. He described the jump as disruptive for organizations that depend on diesel and said the outlook remains uncertain. Brito said a return to lower prices would depend in part on global conflicts easing enough to reopen key shipping routes, as well as growth in international refining capacity. For local districts, prolonged high prices could put added pressure on transportation budgets that pay to get students to and from school.