BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                          AB 537
                                                          Page  1

Date of Hearing:   May 12, 1999

              ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS 
                    Carole Migden, Chairwoman

             AB 537 (Aroner) - As Amended: 4/15/99 

Policy Committee:                               
EducationVote:11-4

Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local  
Program:NoReimbursable:           No 

  SUMMARY  :

This bill increases the funding for home-to-school  
transportation for the West Contra Costa Unified School District  
(WCCUSD), by increasing funding to the statewide average. 

  FISCAL EFFECT  :

GF (Prop 98) costs of $819,000. At a 53% funding rate, West  
Contra Costa USD would have been eligible for $1.05 million in  
home-to-school funding in 1997-98, an increase of  $819,000 over  
the actual entitlement of $232,000.


  COMMENTS  :

1)  Purpose  .  The author contends California school agencies are  
  funded for approximately 53% of their approved costs.   
  However, many districts are funded at a lower level. Due to  
  expansion into suburbs that were undeveloped 15 years ago, as  
  well as the forced relocation of more than 450 students due to  
  the implementation of class-size reduction, West Contra Costa  
  Unified School District (WCCUSD) was funded at less than 12%  
  for its approved transportation costs in 1997-98 (most recent  
  figures available).

  District students utilize AC Transit buses to provide the bulk  
  of their home-to-school transportation. AC Transit offers  
  these trips at a significant discount, utilizing buses that  
  would otherwise be idle during off-commute hours. But since  
  many of the district's students are eligible for free and  
  reduced price lunches, they cannot afford to access the AC  








                                                          AB 537
                                                          Page  2

  Transit buses or provide their own transportation. 

  As a result of these factors, district administrators are  
  finding that the shortage of home-to-school transportation  
  options is limiting student access to education. AB 537 will  
  increase that access by equalizing to a statewide average,  
  funding for the district's transportation program

2)  Related Legislation  . AB 2972 (Olberg, 1996) implemented an  
  equalization formula to help districts that have higher  
  transportation costs due to extreme climate or mountainous  
  roads. In the current session, SB 83 (Rainey) proposes  
  providing funds to districts that do not currently have  
  home-to-school transportation entitlements.

  Analysis Prepared by  :    Jai Sookprasert / APPR. / (916)  
319-2081