Bill > S246

This bill amends existing law to establish clearer guidelines for how school districts are responsible for providing transportation to students attending charter schools within their district. Specifically, it mandates that resident school districts must offer transportation to charter school students on the same terms as they do for students attending local public schools, if the charter school requests it. The bill outlines a cost-sharing arrangement: if the school district and charter school cannot agree on the charter school's start time, the district will cover 50% of the transportation costs, and the charter school will cover the other 50%. The school district is only responsible for transportation costs on days when both district and charter schools are in session, and they are not liable for costs incurred through independent transportation vendors. The bill also clarifies that if a school district imposes limitations on transportation for its own students, such as travel distance or attendance zones, these same limitations will apply to charter school transportation. Furthermore, it specifies that charter schools will not receive more funding for transportation than their actual costs, and reimbursement for students living outside the charter school's municipality is subject to specific conditions, including a minimum travel distance of 1.5 miles.