COLUMBUS, Ohio — School districts across Central Ohio are facing higher transportation costs after Ohio’s average diesel price reached a record $6.47 per gallon Thursday, according to AAA. The increase matters because school buses and other heavy-duty vehicles depend on diesel, even as most passenger vehicles use gasoline. For Columbus City Schools, diesel accounts for about 97% of the fuel it purchases. Its buses travel nearly 40,000 miles each school day to transport thousands of students. The district spends more than $4.5 million a year on fuel for its fleet, said Michael Brown, chief of communications for Columbus City Schools. “It’s got to be a long-term concern for anyone who has a large vehicle fleet like Columbus City Schools,” Brown said. “This actually is a big issue, and we’re spending more than $4.5 million a year on fuel to fuel that fleet to keep our kids safely getting to and from school every day.” Columbus City Schools has limited the immediate impact by placing large annual fuel orders and negotiating prices below the prevailing market rate. District officials expect those costs to rise alongside the broader market in the future. “We work very hard to get competitive bids from fuel dealers and then bring that to the board as part of our annual budget so we can plan ahead and lock the price in,” Brown said. “When it comes to the inflation impacts, are we watching it? Absolutely.” South-Western City Schools also reported a significant increase, with fuel spending up nearly $300,000 from the previous year. A district spokesperson said officials budget for higher costs but continue to view fuel prices as an inflationary pressure. Kurt Lykins, an economics professor at Otterbein University, said prices have remained relatively stable despite reaching record levels, in part because the United States is drawing on oil reserves. But he warned that reserves cannot be used indefinitely without creating longer-term risks. “It could still get worse. In fact, if it doesn’t get better in the next few months, I think we’re going to have a serious concern,” Lykins said. “If we hit that amount, we can see volatility. We will look back and say, ‘gosh, I wish gas, I wish diesel prices were only $6 a gallon.’” Lykins advised organizations that buy diesel in bulk, including school districts, to consider locking in prices earlier rather than later amid uncertainty in the Middle East. For districts already balancing tight budgets, fuel costs add pressure to an essential service that gets students to and from school each day.