HB 42: Quality Basic Education; calculation and distribution of funds to local units of administration for student transportation programs; revise provisions

Georgia's Quality Basic Education law (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-188) currently limits how much the state reimburses local school districts for busing students and required regular transportation to be fully funded before other transportation, such as field trips. This bill rewrites that section to require the State Board of Education to distribute up to 100 percent of a district's projected transportation costs twice a year, rather than capping funding at a level that could shortchange districts, and removes the rule that regular busing must be funded first. The bill also directs the Department of Education to update its cost schedules twice a year and post them online, adds the cost of health insurance to the factors used to calculate transportation costs, and expands covered vehicles beyond traditional school buses. It raises the minimum monthly salary for drivers from $500 to $2,000, and allows students who live within 1.5 miles of school to count for transportation funding if they cannot safely walk, such as where sidewalks or safe crossings are missing.

• Requires the State Board of Education to pay each local school district up to 100 percent of its projected student transportation costs, twice each school year, instead of a lower capped amount.
• Removes the requirement that regular student transportation be fully funded before funding is provided for field trips and other non-regular transportation.
• Requires the State Board of Education to collaborate with local districts and let them submit cost information when the state calculates transportation funding formulas.
• Adds the cost of health insurance to the list of factors used in calculating a district's student transportation costs.
• Raises the state-mandated minimum monthly salary for school vehicle drivers from $500 to $2,000 for 12 months of work.
• Expands student transportation funding rules to cover a broader range of 'school vehicles,' not just traditional school buses, and lets students within 1.5 miles of school qualify for funding if they cannot safely walk or bike.

Local school districts (called local units of administration) and their transportation budgets, the State Board of Education and Department of Education, school bus and vehicle drivers who would see a pay floor increase, and students, particularly those who live close to school but face unsafe walking conditions like missing sidewalks or busy intersections.

Districts that currently receive less than their full transportation costs from the state could see more state money, and drivers would get a higher guaranteed minimum salary. More students living near schools but facing unsafe walking routes could become eligible for bus service, and districts would have more input into how the state calculates their transportation funding.

• Amends O.C.G.A. § 20-2-188 to require the State Board of Education to fund the lesser of 100 percent of projected costs or actual transportation costs, calculated and distributed twice a year.
• Removes the prior rule requiring regular student transportation to be fully funded before funding non-regular transportation like field trips or work-experience travel.
• Requires the Department of Education to update its schedule of standard and variable transportation cost factors by March 1 and November 1 each year and publish it on its website.
• Adds health insurance costs to the factors the state considers when calculating district transportation costs, alongside existing factors like route density, terrain, and liability insurance.
• Raises the minimum monthly salary schedule for school vehicle drivers from $500 to $2,000 per month for 12 months.
• Broadens the definition of covered vehicles from 'school bus' to 'school vehicle,' covering a wider range of vehicles used for student transportation.
• Allows students within 1.5 miles of school to be counted for transportation funding if they cannot safely walk or travel to school due to conditions like unsafe sidewalks, bike lanes, or intersections.
• Requires the State Board of Education to set up a process for local districts to submit information relevant to calculating their projected transportation costs.

1. 2025-01-16House Second Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
2. 2025-01-15House First Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
3. 2025-01-14House Hopper (Cámara de Representantes)

• Viola Davis (D, HD-087)Patrocinador principal
• Sandra Scott (D, HD-076)
• Kim Schofield (D, HD-063)

• school transportation funding
• school bus drivers
• education funding
• student safety
• Quality Basic Education