Relating to public school funding by modifying provisions relating to the regular program state cost per pupil, making appropriations to the transportation equity fund, establishing transportation data review and reporting requirements, and including effective date provisions. Effective 2-19-19

Under the bill, for the budget year beginning July 1, 2019, the regular program state cost per pupil is the regular program state cost per pupil for the base year plus the regular program supplemental state aid for the budget year, plus $5. Then with the budget year beginning July 1, 2020, and succeeding budget years, the regular program state cost per pupil will again be calculated as the regular program state cost per pupil for the base year plus the regular program supplemental state aid for the budget year.16C establishes a transportation equity program to provide additional funding for school districts with a transportation cost per pupil that exceeds the statewide adjusted transportation cost per pupil, as determined by the department of management. The amount of transportation equity aid for each school district is an amount equal to the school district’s actual enrollment for the school year, excluding the shared-time enrollment for the school year, multiplied by the school district’s transportation cost per pupil differential for the budget year.16C establishes a transportation equity fund and appropriates all moneys in the fund to the department of management for purposes of making the transportation equity aid payments. However, if the balance of the fund exceeds the amount necessary to make all transportation equity aid payments, moneys remaining in the fund are required to be used for transportation base funding payments. Transportation base funding payments for each school district in the state are calculated by multiplying the school district’s enrollment used to calculate transportation equity aid by the lesser of the statewide average transportation cost per pupil or the school district’s transportation cost per pupil for the budget year. For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2019, the bill appropriates $19 million from the general fund of the state for deposit in the transportation equity fund. For each fiscal year beginning on or after July 1, 2020, the bill appropriates from the general fund of the state to the transportation equity fund the sum of the amount appropriated for the immediately preceding fiscal year plus the product of the amount appropriated for the immediately preceding fiscal year multiplied by the categorical percent of growth for the corresponding school budget year. The bill also establishes periodic compilation, review, and reporting of transportation data by the department of education. The bill takes effect upon enactment.