6031-S.E AMH APP MACK 355

ESSB 6031 - H COMM AMD

By Committee on Appropriations

ADOPTED 03/01/2024

Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:

"NEW SECTION. Sec. A new section is added to chapter 28A.160 RCW to read as follows:

By January 1, 2026, the office of the superintendent of public instruction must perform a study of school district transportation costs and allocations in the 2024-25 school year. The purpose of the study is to recommend revisions to pupil transportation formulas beginning in the 2026-27 school year to make allocations more predictable, transparent, and comprehensive. The superintendent must report any findings and recommendations to the education and fiscal committees of the house of representatives and senate and submit agency request legislation as necessary to implement a new formula. The study must compare 2024-25 school year allocations provided by distribution formulas under RCW 28A.160.150 through 28A.160.180 and 28A.160.192 to alternative allocation formulas.

(1) The alternative allocation formulas studied must include, at a minimum, the following:

(a) A cost and methodology for reimbursing special transportation for students receiving special education services, students experiencing homelessness, and students in foster care. For any expenditures in 2024-25 that would be reimbursed under an alternative formula, the superintendent must report the expenditures by program, object, and activity as defined under accounting rules for the 2024-25 school year.

(b) An approach to accommodate multiple vehicle types that are used for pupil transportation.

(d) A rate per mile for transportation costs above proposed reimbursements in subsection (1)(a).

(e) A minimum allocation formula.

(f) An inflation factor.

(2) The superintendent must use actual data from the 2024-25 school year to calculate alternative allocations in the study. To collect the data necessary, the superintendent must require school districts to report the following for the 2024-25 school year in addition to information reported under RCW 28A.160.170.

(a) Passengers eligible for and receiving special education that require transportation as a related service of their individualized education program.

(b) Passengers that are homeless students requiring transportation under the federal McKinney-Vento homeless assistance act, Title 42 U.S.C. Sec. 11431 et seq..

(c) Passengers that are foster students receiving transportation as required under the federal every student succeeds act, Title 20 U.S.C. Sec. 6312(c)(5)(b).

(d) The number of miles driven per vehicle type.

(e) Other data deemed necessary by the superintendent to develop alternative allocations.

(3) The office of the superintendent of public instruction may establish rules as necessary to implement this section.

(4) This section expires September 1, 2027."

EFFECT: Strikes the underlying bill. Requires the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to study transportation formulas by comparing current formulas with alternative allocation formulas. The purpose of the study is to make recommendations and propose request legislation as needed for a new transportation allocation formula beginning in the 2026-27 school year. Requires alternative allocation formulas studied to include reimbursement of special passenger costs, rates per rider and per mile, approaches to accommodate multiple vehicle types, minimum allocation formulas, and an inflation factor. Authorizes OSPI to collect additional data from districts necessary for the analysis and to implement rules. Adds an expiration date of September 1, 2027.

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