BILL NUMBER: SB 1166	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senator Vidak

                        FEBRUARY 20, 2014

   An act to amend Sections 39800 and 39820 of, and to add Section
41857 to, the Education Code, relating to education finance, and
declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 1166, as introduced, Vidak. Education finance: home-to-school
transportation.
   Existing law authorizes the governing board of any school district
to provide for the transportation of pupils to and from school
whenever, in the judgment of the governing board, the transportation
is advisable and good reasons exist therefor. Existing law also
authorizes school district governing boards to provide for the
transportation of certain pupils who have reached 3 years and 9
months of age and are enrolled in specified special education
classes. Existing law provides for the state reimbursement of the
costs of this transportation through the apportionment of
transportation allowances that are calculated in accordance with
designated data.
   This bill would require that, commencing with the 2014-15 fiscal
year, school districts would receive state reimbursement for the full
cost of the home-to-school transportation of pupils. The bill would
specify that, for its purposes, "school districts" would include
charter schools and county offices of education. The bill would
require the State Department of Education to develop and implement
procedures for the submission by school districts of information
regarding their costs of home-to-school transportation of pupils, and
would further require that these costs would be reimbursed through
an appropriation included in the annual Budget Act.
   The bill would render the current system of apportioning
transportation allowances to local educational agencies inoperative
as of July 1, 2014.
   This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as
an urgency statute.
   Vote: 2/3. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 39800 of the Education Code is amended to read:

   39800.  (a) The governing board of any school district may provide
for the transportation of pupils to and from school whenever  ,
 in the judgment of the  governing  board  , 
the transportation is advisable and good reasons exist therefor. The
governing board may purchase or rent and provide for the upkeep,
care, and operation of vehicles, or may contract and pay for the
transportation of pupils to and from school by common carrier or
municipally owned transit system, or may contract with and pay
responsible private parties for the transportation. These contracts
may be made with the parent or guardian of the pupil being
transported. A governing board may allow the transportation of
preschool or nursery school pupils in schoolbuses owned or operated
by the district. A state reimbursement may not be received by a
district for the transportation of preschool or nursery school
pupils.
   (b) As used in this  article, "municipally  
article: 
    (1)     "Municipally  owned transit
system" means a transit system owned by a city, or by a district
created under Part 1 (commencing with Section 24501) of Division 10
of the Public Utilities Code. 
   (2) "School district" includes a charter school and a county
office of education.  
   (c) A school district shall receive state reimbursement for the
full cost of the home-to-school transportation of pupils described in
subdivision (a). The State Department of Education shall develop and
implement procedures for the submission by school districts of
information regarding their costs of home-to-school transportation of
pupils. Commencing with the 2014-15 fiscal year, these costs shall
be reimbursed through an appropriation included in the annual Budget
Act. 
  SEC. 2.  Section 39820 of the Education Code is amended to read:
   39820.  (a) Notwithstanding any other  provision of
 law, the governing board of any school district may
provide, beginning in the 1975-76 fiscal year, for the transportation
to and from public school of pupils who have attained the age of
three years and nine months and are enrolled in classes established
pursuant to Chapter 4.45 (commencing with Section 56440) of Part 30
 of Division 4  whenever  ,  in the judgment of the
board, transportation is advisable and good reasons exist therefor.
A governing board may allow for the transportation of parents of
pupils enrolled in these classes for the purpose of accompanying
their children to and from the attendance center offering the early
primary classes.
   (b) School districts shall receive state reimbursements for the
 full cost of the home-to-school  transportation of pupils
described in subdivision (a) pursuant to  Article 10
(commencing with Section 41850) of Chapter 5 of Part 24 
 Section 39800  .
  SEC. 3.  Section 41857 is added to the Education Code, to read:
   41857.  This article shall become inoperative on July 1, 2014.
  SEC. 4.  This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate
preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the
meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into immediate
effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
   In order to provide local educational agencies with reimbursement
for the full cost of home-to-school transportation of pupils in time
for the commencement of the 2014-15 fiscal year, it is necessary that
this act take effect immediately.