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S1129.........................................................by STATE AFFAIRS SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION SUPPORT PROGRAM - Amends existing law to provide a cap on the allowable costs under the school transportation support program; to provide for reimbursement levels based upon allowable cost limits; and to provide that the State Board of Education may grant a waiver based upon appeal and a school district's justification of excessive costs. 02/24 Senate intro - 1st rdg - to printing 02/25 Rpt prt - to Educ
|||| LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO |||| Fifty-seventh Legislature First Regular Session - 2003IN THE SENATE SENATE BILL NO. 1129 BY STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE 1 AN ACT 2 RELATING TO THE TRANSPORTATION SUPPORT PROGRAM FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS; AMENDING 3 SECTION 33-1006, IDAHO CODE, TO PROVIDE CLARIFYING LANGUAGE, TO PROVIDE A 4 CAP ON ALLOWABLE COSTS UNDER THE PROGRAM, TO PROVIDE FOR REIMBURSEMENT 5 LEVELS BASED UPON ALLOWABLE COST LIMITS, TO PROVIDE THAT THE STATE BOARD 6 OF EDUCATION MAY GRANT A WAIVER BASED UPON APPEAL AND A SCHOOL DISTRICT'S 7 JUSTIFICATION OF EXCESSIVE COSTS AND TO MAKE A TECHNICAL CORRECTION. 8 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho: 9 SECTION 1. That Section 33-1006, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby 10 amended to read as follows: 11 33-1006. TRANSPORTATION SUPPORT PROGRAM. The state board of education 12 shall determine what costs of transporting pupils, including maintenance, 13 operation and depreciation of vehicles, insurance, payments under contract 14 with other public transportation providers whose vehicles used to transport 15 pupils comply with federal transit administration regulations, "bus testing," 16 49 C.F.R. part 665, and any revision thereto, as provided in subsection 4. of 17 this section, or other state department of education approved private trans- 18 portation providers, salaries of drivers, and any other costs, shall be allow- 19 able in computing the transportation support program of school districts. Each 20 school district shall maintain records and make reports as are required for 21 the purposes of this section. 22 The transportation support program of a school district shall be based 23 upon the allowable costs of: 24 1. Transporting public school pupils one and one-half (1 1/2) miles or 25 more to school; 26 2. Transporting pupils less than one and one-half (1 1/2) miles as pro- 27 vided in section 33-1501, Idaho Code, when approved by the state board of edu- 28 cation; 29 3. The costs of payments when transportation is not furnished, as pro- 30 vided in section 33-1503, Idaho Code; 31 4. The transportation program for grades six (6) through twelve (12), 32 upon the costs of payments pursuant to a contract with other public or private 33 transportation providers entered into as provided in section 33-1510, Idaho 34 Code, if the school district establishes that the reimbursable costs of 35 transportation under the contract are equal to or less than the costs for 36 school buses. 37 5. The costs of providing transportation to and from approved school 38 activities as may be approved by rules of the state board of education; 39 6. The employer's share of contributions to the public employee retire- 40 ment system and to social security. 41 The state's share of the transportation support program shall be eighty- 42 five percent (85%) of allowable transportation costs of the school district 43 for the next preceding year, provided the allowable costs do not exceed one 2 1 hundred three percent (103%) of the state average reimbursable cost per mile 2 and the state average reimbursable cost per student. If a school district's 3 costs exceed the one hundred three percent (103%) limit when computed by both 4 methods, that school district shall be reimbursed at eighty-five percent (85%) 5 of the maximum limit for whichever method is more favorable to the school dis- 6 trict. A school district may appeal the application of this provision to the 7 state board of education, which may grant a waiver based upon the school 8 district's justification of the excessive costs.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE RS13006 Current contributions to transportation funding for public schools are based on expenditures from the prior year for that district. This bill will place a cap on the amount of reimbursement at 103% of the state average reimbursable cost per mile or student, whichever is more favorable to the district. It also provides for an appeal to the state board of education for justification of excessive costs. FISCAL IMPACT Based on the current compensation model, a savings to the state general fund of $2.7M would be realized. Contact Name: Senator John W Goedde Phone: 332-1340 STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE S 1129