Bill Text: FL S1020 | 2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Student Transportation Funding
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2015-05-01 - Died in Appropriations [S1020 Detail]
Download: Florida-2015-S1020-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2015 SB 1020 By Senator Simmons 10-00655A-15 20151020__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to student transportation funding; 3 amending s. 1011.68, F.S.; revising the membership of 4 students that a school district reports for 5 transportation funding purposes; revising the school 6 transportation allocation formula used by each school 7 district; revising the types of students eligible for 8 transportation funds used for transportation to and 9 from school in private passenger cars and boats; 10 reenacting s. 1011.622, F.S., to incorporate the 11 amendment made to s. 1011.68, F.S., in a reference 12 thereto; providing an effective date. 13 14 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 15 16 Section 1. Section 1011.68, Florida Statutes, is amended to 17 read: 18 1011.68 Funds for student transportation.—The annual 19 allocation to each district for transportation to public school 20 programs, including charter schools as provided in s. 21 1002.33(17)(b), of students in membership in kindergarten 22 through grade 12 and inmigrant andexceptional student programs 23 below kindergarten shall be determined as follows: 24 (1) Subject to the rules of the State Board of Education, 25 each district shall determine the membership of students who are 26 transported: 27 (a) By reason of being a student who livesliving2 miles 28 or more from school. 29 (b) By reason of being a student enrolled in a 30 prekindergarten program for students with disabilitiesor31enrolled in a teenage parent program, which generates full-time 32 equivalent student membership under s. 1011.61, regardless of 33 distance to school. 34 (c) By reason of being a student who is pregnant, a student 35 parent, or the child of a student parent as provided in s. 36 1003.54ina state prekindergarten program, regardless of 37 distance from school. 38 (d) By reason of being a student with a disability, 39 regardless of distance to school, whose individual educational 40 plan (IEP) identifies the need for one or more of the following 41 services: 42 1. Medical equipment, which includes wheelchairs, crutches, 43 walkers, canes, tracheotomy equipment, and positioning or unique 44 seating devices. 45 2. A special transportation environment in accordance with 46 a physician’s prescription. Such an environment may include, but 47 is not limited to, tinted windows, a dust-controlled atmosphere, 48 or temperature control. 49 3. An attendant, aide, or monitor. 50 4. A shortened school day. 51 5. Transportation to a school center located in an out-of 52 district school system. The term “school center” means a public 53 school center, Florida College System institution, state 54 university, or other facility rented, leased, or owned and 55 operated by the school district or another public agencyBy56reason of being career, dual enrollment, or students with57disabilities transported from one school center to another to58participate in an instructional program or service; or students59with disabilities, transported from one designation to another60in the state, provided one designation is a school center and61provided the student’s individual educational plan (IEP)62identifies the need for the instructional program or service and63transportation to be provided by the school district. 64 (e) By reason of being a student who is enrolled during the 65 180-day school year in a career education course or a dual 66 enrollment course in a Florida College System institution or a 67 State University System institution pursuant to s. 1007.271 and 68 who is transported from one school center to another. The termA69 “school center” meansis defined asa public school center, 70 Florida College System institution, state university, or other 71 facility rented, leased, or owned and operated by the school 72 district or another public agency.A “dual enrollment student”73is defined as a public school student in membership in both a74public secondary school program and a Florida College System75institution or a state university program under a written76agreement to partially fulfill ss. 1003.435 and 1007.23 and77earning full-time equivalent membership under s. 1011.62(1)(i).78 (f)(e)By reason of being anWith respect toelementary 79 school studentstudentswhose grade level does not exceed grade 80 6 who is,by reason of beingsubjected to hazardous walking 81 conditions en route to or from school as provided in s. 1006.23 82 and by rule of the State Board of Education. Such rulerules83 shall, when appropriate, provide for the determination of 84 membership under this paragraphfor less than 1 yearto 85 accommodate the needs of students who require transportation 86onlyuntil such hazardous conditions are corrected. 87(f) By reason of being a pregnant student or student88parent, and the child of a student parent as provided in s.891003.54, regardless of distance from school.90 (g) By reason of being a student with a disability whose 91 IEP specifies the need for an extended school year education, 92 with transportation as a related service, during the summer. 93 (h) By reason of being a student who generates full-time 94 equivalent student membership during the summer under s. 1011.61 95 through participation in a nonresidential Department of Juvenile 96 Justice education program pursuant to s. 1003.52. 97 (2) A school district may report only students who generate 98 full-time equivalent membership during the summer under s. 99 1011.61 for student transportation funding during the summer, 100 unless a student meets the requirements of paragraph (1)(g). 101 (3) Students who are enrolled in the Florida School for the 102 Deaf and the Blind as authorized in s. 1002.36 are funded 103 through a specific appropriation in the General Appropriations 104 Act for the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind and are 105 not eligible for student transportation funding under this 106 section. 107 (4)(2)The allocation for each district shall be calculated 108 annually in accordance with the following formula: 109 110 T =B +EX + B. The elements of this formula are defined as 111 follows: 112 (a) T is the total dollar allocation for transportation. 113 (b) EX is the transportation dollar allocation for students 114 with disabilities whom the school district reports under 115 paragraph (1)(d). The transportation dollar allocation for 116 students with disabilities is the students with disabilities 117 membership count reported in paragraph (1)(d), weighted for 118 increased costs associated with transporting students with 119 disabilities, and multiplying that number by an average per 120 student cost for transportation as determined by the Legislature 121B is the base transportation dollar allocation prorated by an122adjusted student membership count. The adjusted students with 123 disabilities membership count shall be derived from a 124 multiplicative index function in which the base student 125 membership is adjusted by multiplying it by index numbers that 126 individually account for the impact of the price level index, 127 average bus occupancy, and the extent of rural population in the 128 district. Each adjustment factor shall be designed to affect the 129 base allocation by no more or less than 10 percent. 130 (c) BEXis the base transportation dollar allocation and 131 represents the remaining funds after calculating the 132 transportation dollar allocation for students with disabilities 133 prorated by an adjusted student membership countfor disabled134studentsprorated by an adjusted disabled student membership135count.The base transportation dollar allocation for disabled136students is the total state base disabled student membership137count weighted for increased costs associated with transporting138disabled students and multiplying it by an average per student139cost for transportation as determined by the Legislature.The 140 adjusteddisabled studentmembership count shall be derived from 141 a multiplicative index function in which theweighted base142disabledstudent membership count reported in subsection (1) is 143 adjusted by multiplying it by index numbers that individually 144 account for the impact of the price level index, average bus 145 occupancy, and the extent of rural population in the district. 146 Each adjustment factor shall be designed to affect the base 147 allocation by no more or less than 10 percent. 148(3) The total allocation to each district for149transportation of students shall be the sum of the amounts150determined in subsection (2). If the funds appropriated for the151purpose of implementing this section are not sufficient to pay152the base transportation allocation and the base transportation153allocation for disabled students, the Department of Education154shall prorate the available funds on a percentage basis. If the155funds appropriated for the purpose of implementing this section156exceed the sum of the base transportation allocation and the157base transportation allocation for disabled students, the base158transportation allocation for disabled students shall be limited159to the amount calculated in subsection (2), and the remaining160balance shall be added to the base transportation allocation.161 (5)(4)ANodistrict may notshalluse funds to purchase 162 transportation equipment and supplies at prices which exceed 163 those determined by the department to be the lowest which can be 164 obtained, as prescribed in s. 1006.27(1). 165 (6)(a)(5)Funds allocated or apportioned for the payment of 166 student transportation services may be used to pay for 167 transportation of students to and from school on local general 168 purpose transportation systems. 169 (b) Student transportation funds mayalsobe used to pay 170 for transportation of students to and from school in private 171 passenger cars and boats when the transportation is for: 172 1. An isolated student who lives in a sparsely populated 173 area when compared to other population areas within the 174 district, or in a location for which a school bus cannot 175 traverse the road or route necessary to pick up the student; 176 2. A student with a disability as authorized by rule; 177 3. A student who is in the custody of the Department of 178 Children and Families; and 179 4. A student who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate 180 nighttime residence, or whose primary nighttime residence is a 181 public or private shelter designed to provide temporary 182 residence or whose primary nighttime residence is a public or 183 private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular 184 sleeping accommodation for human beingsisolated students, or185students with disabilities as defined by rule.Subject to the186rules of the State Board of Education, each school district187shall determine and report the number of assigned students using188general purpose transportation private passenger cars and boats.189The allocation per student must be equal to the allocation per190student riding a school bus.191 (c) The allocation per student for general purpose 192 transportation, private passenger cars, and boats is equal to 193 the allocation per student riding a school bus. 194 (7)(6)Notwithstanding other provisions of this section, in 195 no case shall any student or students be counted for 196 transportation funding more than once per day. This provision 197 includes counting students for funding pursuant to trips in 198 school buses, passenger cars, or boats or general purpose 199 transportation. 200 Section 2. Section 1011.622, Florida Statutes, is reenacted 201 for the purpose of incorporating the amendment made by this act 202 to s. 1011.68, Florida Statutes, in a reference thereto. 203 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.