In an effort to avoid a deficit, Wareham Public Schools may transport fewer students to school this September.

The School Committee discussed a proposal to reduce the costs of busing students on July 25, which would eliminate busing services for students in grades 9 through 12. The measure would drop the number of buses the district uses from 23 to 13. Bus driver positions would also be eliminated.

The School Committee is discussing the proposal in order to reduce the likelihood of a deficit in fiscal year 2013, which started on July 1.

The proposal also suggests generating funds by charging $75 to students who, by state law, are not required to be transported.

The combined savings and income would result in approximately $167,000 per year, according to School Committee Chair Geoff Swett.

But committee members found the proposals hard to digest.

"They either hated the idea of not providing services to the high school, or hated the idea of [charging] fees. Or both," said Swett, explaining why committee members opted not to vote on the proposal on July 25.

Last year, the school's Transportation Department ran a deficit of $313,000, Swett said.

The deficit was made up using money from the department's "revolving fund," Swett said. It was also made up using state money given to Wareham for allowing non-Wareham students to attend Wareham Schools.

But because the costs of maintaining the school's aging bus fleet is increasing, another deficit next year might prove to be too much.

"We've had a deficit, and we've covered it, but we don't anticipate we'll be able to cover it again," said Swett.

School officials brought the issue of its aging fleet to Town Meeting last spring. They asked voters to allow the Selectman to put a number of Proposition 2½ measures on the ballot to help fund school expenses, one of which was the purchase of four new school buses.

The Proposition 2½ measures would have raised property taxes in order to fund the school expenses. Town Meeting voters ultimately sent the measures to the Selectmen to decide on whether to put them on a town-wide election ballot, but Selectmen opted not to do so.

The School Committee will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 1, in the Wareham Middle School auditorium for a public hearing about busing and other funding issues.

Swett said the School Committee would like to make a decision about busing soon.

"We have to make a decision as to what we're going to do because we don't want to deficit spend," Swett noted.