What's happening
This bill provides financial incentives for New York school districts to share transportation services, with a statewide cap of $3 million.
Why it matters
Encourages cost-saving collaboration. By offering additional state aid to districts that provide shared transportation services, the bill incentivizes schools to work together, potentially reducing overall transportation costs and inefficiencies.
New funding formula with accountability. The 10% incentive is calculated based on actual revenue received from partner districts, and districts must demonstrate cost savings according to state guidelines—this ensures that only genuine, efficient collaborations are rewarded.
Equitable distribution, capped at $3 million. If statewide claims for the incentive exceed $3 million, funds are prorated, ensuring no single district disproportionately benefits and that the program remains fiscally constrained.
Temporary pilot with oversight. The three-year sunset provision makes this a trial program, allowing legislators and stakeholders to assess its effectiveness before making it permanent, promoting accountability and data-driven decision-making.
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Who cares
School districts providing shared transportation
Eligible districts outside New York City could receive incentive aid equal to 10% of revenue from other public school districts for shared transportation, subject to a $3 million statewide cap and proration.
School districts purchasing shared transportation
Their transportation agreements could qualify provider districts for incentive aid if the providers demonstrate cost savings under the education commissioner's guidelines.
State education commissioner
The bill would authorize the commissioner to approve shared transportation contracts and establish guidelines for demonstrating cost savings.
Headline styles
Encourage Shared School Busing
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 8
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to education
- Referred to education
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Incentivize Shared School Busing
In Assembly Committee · Education · Sponsor Fred Thiele
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
6211
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
May 23, 2019
Introduced by Sen. BROOKS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to school district shared transportation services; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 7 of section 3602 of the education law is amended by adding a new paragraph f to read as follows:
f. In addition to any other apportionment under this subdivision, for the two thousand nineteen--two thousand twenty school year and thereafter, a school district other than a city school district in a city having a population of one million or more inhabitants shall be eligible for an incentive apportionment for providing shared transportation services to one or more other public school districts. The amount of such apportionment under this paragraph shall be equal to the product of (i) the amount of revenue received from another public school district for providing shared transportation services to one or more other public school districts and (ii) ten percent. For the purpose of this paragraph, the commissioner of education shall be authorized to approve any contract for shared transportation services between one or more public school districts pursuant to section thirty-six hundred twenty-five of this article and provided a school district claiming an incentive apportionment under such contract shall demonstrate cost savings in accordance with guidelines established by the commissioner. If the total statewide apportionment under this paragraph exceeds three million dollars ($3,000,000), individual school district allocations shall be prorated to ensure that the apportionment for such shared transportation incentive aid does not exceed three million dollars ($3,000,000), provided that such prorated apportionment computed and payable as of September one of the school year immediately following the school year
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09581-01-9
S. 6211 2
for which such aid is claimed shall be deemed final and not subject to change.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding the date upon which it shall have become a law and shall expire and be deemed repealed three years after such date.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the education law, in relation to school district shared transportation services; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
Purpose
To provide an incentive for school districts to share pupil transporta- tion and reduce costs.
Summary of provisions
Section 1. amends subdivision 7 of Section 3602 of the education law by adding a new paragraph f to provide for a financial incentive to share pupil transportation.
Section 2. is the enacting clause.
Justification
Currently, school districts receive state transportation aid for students they transport to educational programs based on their approved eligible expenses. There is little incentive for school districts to reduce costs through sharing transportation among school districts because the more they spend the more aid they get. This is especially true for low wealth districts that are granted aid up to 90 percent of aidable costs.
This bill would provide, beginning with the 2017-18 school year, an incentive for all school districts that share pupil transportation with other districts, calculated as 10 percent of the revenue received from the other district for the shared transportation. It is expected that savings will accrue to the State of more than ten times the amount of the incentive.
Consider an example in which two low-wealth school districts share pupil transportation to a nonpublic school. Their costs are essentially cut in half because they use one bus, one driver, etc. instead of two. District A provides the transportation and District B pays District A $11,410 for its per-pupil share of the expense. Under this proposal, the State would pay district A $1,141 for providing the shared transportation; District B would benefit from the reduced cost. Both districts would also save from the sharing ($6,844) and the state would save the most ($61,596-$1.141 incentive or $60,455). That is, a modest investment in a savings incentive would, produce reduced expenses and large savings.
Fiscal implications
Undetermined
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the first of July succeeding the date upon which it shall have become a law and shall expire and be deemed repealed three years thereafter.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.