Title: Student Transportation Funding

Summary: Revising the membership of students that a school district reports for transportation funding purposes; revising the school transportation allocation formula used by each school district; revising the types of students eligible for transportation funds used for transportation to and from school in private passenger cars and boats, etc.

Full Text:
An act relating to student transportation funding; amending s. 1011.68, F.S.; revising the membership of students that a school district reports for transportation funding purposes; revising the school transportation allocation formula used by each school district; revising the types of students eligible for transportation funds used for transportation to and from school in private passenger cars and boats; reenacting s. 1011.622, F.S., to incorporate the amendment made to s. 1011.68, F.S., in a reference thereto; providing an effective date. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1. Section 1011.68, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 1011.68 Funds for student transportation. The annual allocation to each district for transportation to public school programs, including charter schools as provided in s. 1002.33(17)(b), of students in membership in kindergarten through grade and in migrant and exceptional student programs below kindergarten shall be determined as follows: (1) Subject to the rules of the State Board of Education, each district shall determine the membership of students who are transported: (a) By reason of being a student who lives living miles or more from school. (b) By reason of being a student enrolled in a prekindergarten program for students with disabilities or enrolled in a teenage parent program,which generates full-time equivalent student membership under s. 1011.61, regardless of distance to school. (c) By reason of being a student who is pregnant, a student parent, or the child of a student parent as provided in s. 1003.54 in a state prekindergarten program,regardless of distance from school. (d)  By reason of being a student with a disability, regardless of distance to school, whose individual educational plan (IEP) identifies the need for one or more of the following services: 1.   Medical equipment, which includes wheelchairs, crutches, walkers, canes, tracheotomy equipment, and positioning or unique seating devices. 2.   A special transportation environment in accordance with a physician s prescription. Such an environment may include, but is not limited to, tinted windows, a dust-controlled atmosphere, or temperature control. 3.   An attendant, aide, or monitor. 4.   A shortened school day. 5.   Transportation to a school center located in an out-of district school system. The term  school center  means a public school center, Florida College System institution, state university, or other facility rented, leased, or owned and operated by the school district or another public agency By reason of being career, dual enrollment, or students with disabilities transported from one school center to another to participate in an instructional program or service; or students with disabilities, transported from one designation to another in the state, provided one designation is a school center and provided the student s individual educational plan (IEP) identifies the need for the instructional program or service and transportation to be provided by the school district.(e)   By reason of being a student who is enrolled during the 180-day school year in a career education course or a dual enrollment course in a Florida College System institution or a State University System institution pursuant to s. 1007.271 and who is transported from one school center to another. The term A  school center  means is defined as a public school center, Florida College System institution, state university, or other facility rented, leased, or owned and operated by the school district or another public agency. A  dual enrollment student  is defined as a public school student in membership in both a public secondary school program and a Florida College System institution or a state university program under a written agreement to partially fulfill ss. 1003.435 and 1007.23 and earning full-time equivalent membership under s. 1011.62(1)(i). (f) (e)   By reason of being an With respect to elementary school student students whose grade level does not exceed grade who is,by reason of being subjected to hazardous walking conditions en route to or from school as provided in s. 1006.23 and by rule of the State Board of Education.Such rule rules shall, when appropriate, provide for the determination of membership under this paragraph for less than year to accommodate the needs of students who require transportation only until such hazardous conditions are corrected. (f) By reason of being a pregnant student or student parent, and the child of a student parent as provided in s. 1003.54, regardless of distance from school. (g) By reason of being a student with a disability whose IEP specifies the need for an extended school year education, with transportation as a related service, during the summer. (h) By reason of being a student who generates full-time equivalent student membership during the summer under s. 1011.61 through participation in a nonresidential Department of Juvenile Justice education program pursuant to s. 1003.52. (2)  A school district may report only students who generate full-time equivalent membership during the summer under s. 1011.61 for student transportation funding during the summer, unless a student meets the requirements of paragraph (1)(g). (3) Students who are enrolled in the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind as authorized in s. 1002.36 are funded through a specific appropriation in the General Appropriations Act for the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind and are not eligible for student transportation funding under this section. (4) (2)  The allocation for each district shall be calculated annually in accordance with the following formula: T= B+ EX + B. The elements of this formula are defined as follows: (a)  T is the total dollar allocation for transportation. (b)   EX is the transportation dollar allocation for students with disabilities whom the school district reports under paragraph (1)(d). The transportation dollar allocation for students with disabilities is the students with disabilities membership count reported in paragraph (1)(d), weighted for increased costs associated with transporting students with disabilities, and multiplying that number by an average per student cost for transportation as determined by the Legislature Bis the base transportation dollar allocation prorated by an adjusted student membership count.The adjusted students with disabilities membership count shall be derived from a multiplicative index function in which the base student membership is adjusted by multiplying it by index numbers that individually account for the impact of the price level index, average bus occupancy, and the extent of rural population in the district. Each adjustment factor shall be designed to affect the base allocation by no more or less than percent. (c)   BEX is the base transportation dollar allocation and represents the remaining funds after calculating the transportation dollar allocation for students with disabilities prorated by an adjusted student membership count for disabled students prorated by an adjusted disabled student membership count.The base transportation dollar allocation for disabled students is the total state base disabled student membership count weighted for increased costs associated with transporting disabled students and multiplying it by an average per student cost for transportation as determined by the Legislature. The adjusted disabled student membership count shall be derived from a multiplicative index function in which the weighted base disabled student membership count reported in subsection (1) is adjusted by multiplying it by index numbers that individually account for the impact of the price level index, average bus occupancy, and the extent of rural population in the district. Each adjustment factor shall be designed to affect the base allocation by no more or less than percent. (3) The total allocation to each district for transportation of students shall be the sum of the amounts determined in subsection (2). If the funds appropriated for the purpose of implementing this section are not sufficient to pay the base transportation allocation and the base transportation allocation for disabled students, the Department of Education shall prorate the available funds on a percentage basis. If the funds appropriated for the purpose of implementing this section exceed the sum of the base transportation allocation and the base transportation allocation for disabled students, the base transportation allocation for disabled students shall be limited to the amount calculated in subsection (2), and the remaining balance shall be added to the base transportation allocation. (5) (4)   A No district may not shall use funds to purchase transportation equipment and supplies at prices which exceed those determined by the department to be the lowest which can be obtained, as prescribed in s. 1006.27(1). (6)(a) (5)  Funds allocated or apportioned for the payment of student transportation services may be used to pay for transportation of students to and from school on local general purpose transportation systems. (b)  Student transportation funds may also be used to pay for transportation of students to and from school in private passenger cars and boats when the transportation is for:1. An isolated student who lives in a sparsely populated area when compared to other population areas within the district,or in a location for which a school bus cannot traverse the road or route necessary to pick up the student;2. A student with a disability as authorized by rule; 3. A student who is in the custody of the Department of Children and Famil ies;and 4. A student who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence,or whose primary nighttime residence is a public or private shelter designed to provide temporary residence or whose primary nighttime residence is a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings isolated students, or students with disabilities as defined by rule.Subject to the rules of the State Board of Education, each school district shall determine and report the number of assigned students using general purpose transportation private passenger cars and boats. The allocation per student must be equal to the allocation per student riding a school bus.(c) The allocation per student for general purpose transportation, private passenger cars, and boats is equal to the allocation per student riding a school bus.(7) (6)  Notwithstanding other provisions of this section, in no case shall any student or students be counted for transportation funding more than once per day. This provision includes counting students for funding pursuant to trips in school buses, passenger cars, or boats or general purpose transportation. Section 2.  Section 1011.622, Florida Statutes, is reenacted for the purpose of incorporating the amendment made by this act to s. 1011.68, Florida Statutes, in a reference thereto. Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.