PROPOSED
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AMENDMENTS TO S.B. 1280
(Reference to Senate engrossed bill)
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert:
"Section 1. Title 15, chapter 9, article 2, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 15-924, to read:
15-924. In lieu of transportation grants
A. Notwithstanding any other law, beginning in the 2021-2022 school year, a school district may use a portion of its transportation funding allocated pursuant to sections 15-945 and 15-946 to provide in lieu of transportation grants to parents of students who attend the school district pursuant to a plan submitted to the department of education. School districts may issue grants to support individual parents or neighborhood carpools in transporting students to school. A school district's transportation funding allocation may not be reduced or otherwise diminished due to the school district awarding grants pursuant to this section.
B. Notwithstanding any other law, beginning in the 2021-2022 school year, a charter school may use a portion of its charter additional assistance funding allocated pursuant to section 15-185 to provide in lieu of transportation grants to parents of students who attend the charter school pursuant to a plan submitted to the department of education. Charter schools may issue grants to support individual parents or neighborhood carpools in transporting students to school. Participating charter schools shall report to the department regarding the monies awarded to parents as required by the department.
C. A parent may not receive both an in lieu of transportation grant pursuant to this section and a grant under section 41-811.
D. The department of education shall adopt policies and procedures to account for expenditures under this section and to require proof of attendance for students whose transportation is supported through grants under this section.
Sec. 2. Title 41, chapter 4, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding article 8, to read:
ARTICLE 8. TRANSPORTATION SUPPORT FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS
41-811. Transportation support for public school enrollment grant program; policies and procedures; program termination
A. The transportation support for public school enrollment grant program is established within the department to provide grants to parents to assist in transporting students to their school of attendance.
B. Subject to legislative appropriation, beginning in the 2021-2022 school year, the department shall award grants to qualifying parents of students in this state. A parent may apply for a grant under this section if both of the following apply:
1. The parent's child or children attend either:
(a) A school under title 15, chapter 8, article 1.1.
(b) A charter school.
2. The parent either:
(a) Needs financial support to exercise the option prescribed in paragraph 1 of this subsection.
(b) Lives within twenty miles of the school district boundary of the selected school under title 15, chapter 8, article 1.1, but a school transportation program is not available to transport the student from the parent's neighborhood to the school.
C. The department shall develop and implement policies and procedures to administer this program. The department shall set income thresholds for prioritizing available monies for the grants and shall require proof of student attendance at the school as a condition of ongoing funding.
d. The department may retain up to three percent of monies that are appropriated for the PURPOSES of this section to administer the program pursuant to this section.
E. The parent of a student or students may receive a grant pursuant to this section only if the student's or students' school district or charter school does not provide in lieu of transportation grants to parents pursuant to section 15-924. A parent may not receive both a grant pursuant to this section and a grant pursuant to section 15-924.
F. The program established pursuant to this section ends on July 1, 2031 pursuant to section 41-3102.
Sec. 3. Appropriation; department of administration; public school transportation modernization grants; transportation modernization solutions advisory committee; delayed repeal
A. The sum of $10,000,000 is appropriated from the state general fund in fiscal year 2021-2022 to the department of administration to distribute public school transportation modernization grants to school districts, charter schools or any city or town. The department may determine other entities as eligible grant recipients. The department shall do all of the following:
1. Develop a public school transportation modernization grant application and application procedures that require an applicant to explain how it would use grant monies to both:
(a) Improve access to reliable and safe transportation for students attending school through open enrollment pursuant to title 15, chapter 8, article 1.1, Arizona Revised Statutes, or attending charter schools.
(b) Support transportation innovations and efficiency solutions.
2. Consult with the transportation modernization solutions advisory committee established pursuant to subsection B of this section.
3. Make final grant determinations and awards pursuant to this section.
4. Submit an interim report on or before December 15, 2021 and a final report on or before June 30, 2022 to the governor, the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives and provide a copy of these reports to the secretary of state. The reports shall include all of the following:
(a) The best practices used by grant recipients to transport students to schools outside of attendance boundaries.
(b) A list of the grant recipients and the amounts and purposes of the grants.
(c) The number of students impacted per grant recipient.
B. The department of administration shall appoint a transportation modernization solutions advisory committee to assist in consulting for and developing the transportation modernization grant program. The committee consists of not more than fifteen members, including any combination of the following:
1. The president of the state board of education or the president's designee.
2. The president of the state board for charter schools or the president's designee.
3. County school superintendents.
4. Community advocates.
5. Education and regional transportation policy experts.
6. Representatives from the technology or transportation innovation field.
7. Parents of public school students in this state.
C. At the request of the department of administration, the transportation modernization solutions advisory committee may do any of the following:
1. Consider approaches to solving the challenge of helping students access free, safe and reliable transportation to their public schools.
2. Assist the department in developing grant applications and application procedures.
3. Assist in selecting grant recipients and monitoring metrics and data outcomes. The committee may only make recommendations to the department and does not have the sole authority to select grant recipients.
4. Assist in developing and creating the final report required by subsection A, paragraph 4 of this section.
D. The department of administration shall distribute the monies appropriated under subsection A of this section based on demand and the most innovative solutions as well as the recommendations of the transportation modernization solutions advisory committee. The department shall award at least twenty-five percent of these grants to support rural and remote proposals, except that if an insufficient number of qualified rural and remote proposals is submitted, the department may award fewer than twenty-five percent of these grants to rural and remote proposals. The department may retain not more than three percent of monies appropriated to administer the grant program pursuant to this section.
E. Of the monies appropriated under subsection A of this section:
1. At least $5,000,000 shall be distributed to school districts and charter schools as public school transportation modernization grants to support the development and implementation of innovations in public school transportation, including any of the following:
(a) Transportation resource sharing with neighboring school districts or charter schools.
(b) Developing or contracting with rideshare programs or engaging neighborhood carpool strategies.
(c) Developing options for reducing costs and improving efficiencies while improving access to transit options for families, such as exploring the use of fleet vehicles or vans or using the latest technology to lead to more efficient routing.
(d) Developing options to address personnel shortages or challenges.
(e) Using grant monies to issue in lieu of transportation grants to families under section 15-924, Arizona Revised Statutes, as added by this act, to help cover the costs of any of the following:
(i) Driving students to and from school.
(ii) Neighborhood carpools.
(iii) Transit fare.
2. At least $2,000,000 shall be distributed to cities and towns as public school transportation modernization grants to support the development and implementation of innovations in public school transportation, including any of the following:
(a) Planning for and building capacity to ensure that bus stops exist in front of multifamily and low-income housing and public schools with high demand for better transit options.
(b) Partnering with both school district and charter school leaders to reevaluate bus routes to eliminate ride time for students in kindergarten programs and grades one through twelve and families wishing to engage with the public schools in the municipality, with a priority on routes serving grades six through twelve.
(c) Developing creative collaborations with public schools and community partners to identify solutions to better ensure students' safe and effective passage to school.
F. A grant recipient that chooses to use grant monies for the purposes prescribed in subsection E, paragraph 1, subdivision (e) of this section shall give priority to students who meet the economic eligibility requirements established under the national school lunch and child nutrition acts (42 United States Code sections 1751 through 1793) for free or reduced-price lunches and who are attending school through open enrollment pursuant to title 15, chapter 8, article 1.1, Arizona Revised Statutes, or attending a charter school.
G. This section is repealed from and after December 31, 2022."
Amend title to conform