BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 497
Page 1
Date of Hearing: July 8, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Jimmy Gomez, Chair
SB 497
(Vidak) - As Amended April 8, 2015
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|Policy | Education |Vote:| 6-0 |
|Committee: | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------|
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------|
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This bill requires, commencing with data for the 2014-15 fiscal
year, the California Department of Education (CDE) to request
pupil transportation data from each school district, charter
school, county office of education, joint powers authority, and
SB 497
Page 2
regional occupational center or program that provides pupil
transportation. These local education agencies (LEAs) may
provide requested information on a voluntary basis.
Specifically, this bill:
1) Requires the data to include, but not be limited to, totals
from each entity for all of the following: revenue received
for transportation purposes, number of buses, ridership of all
pupils, ridership of pupils with an individualized education
program, ridership of pupils who are eligible for free or
reduced-price meals, number of miles driven, approved costs,
cost per mile, and cost per pupil.
2)Requires CDE to annually post the data received on its
Internet Web site. Further requires the CDE to post the
statewide average cost per mile and the statewide average cost
per pupil and specifies data on the website shall be separated
between home-to-school transportation (HTST) and special
education transportation programs.
FISCAL EFFECT:
1)One-time General Fund administrative costs to CDE in the range
of $50,000 to $70,000 to develop the web application, collect
data and provide support to LEAs. Ongoing General Fund costs
in the range of $15,000 to $25,000 for maintenance of the
application and field support costs. Ongoing costs could
increase depending upon the response rate from LEAs, though
this increase is not anticipated to be significant.
2)Unknown, likely minor, Proposition 98/GF cost pressure on
districts to report data. This reporting requirement is
voluntary and would not constitute a reimbursable state
mandate.
COMMENTS:
SB 497
Page 3
1)Background. Existing law authorizes school districts and
county offices of education (COEs) to provide transportation
services to regular education students attending their schools
at the discretion of their governing boards. State law
requires school districts to provide transportation services
for special education students whose individualized education
programs require such services.
The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) enacted in 2013
replaced nearly all sources of state funding for schools,
including most categorical programs. Home-to-School
Transportation (HTST) funding, however, remained as a separate
funding stream or "add-on" to the LCFF and districts are still
required to spend HTST funding on pupil transportation.
2)Purpose. According to the author's office, school
transportation data has been collected since the start of the
HTST program when the state reimbursed local educational
agencies (LEAs) at 100% of their costs. The data was used by
the state to calculate maintenance of effort for school
transportation reimbursement. The data was last collected in
2012-13 and is no longer collected due to the HTST program
allocation being rolled in the Local Control Funding Formula
as an add-on to the base grant of LEAs. The author's office
indicates that agencies and LEAs need this data for
administrative purposes, including the ability to compare
their efficiency levels with other LEAs.
Analysis Prepared by:Misty Feusahrens / APPR. / (916)
319-2081
SB 497
Page 4