House File 2184 - Introduced



                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  WISE


    Passed House, Date                Passed Senate,  Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to transportation by receiving school districts
  2    of students participating in open enrollment and the approval
  3    by area education agencies of public school bus routes outside
  4    the boundary of such school districts.
  5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  6 TLSB 6052HH 81
  7 kh/sh/8

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 282.18, subsection 10, Code Supplement
  1  2 2005, is amended to read as follows:
  1  3    10.  Notwithstanding section 285.1 relating to
  1  4 transportation of nonresident pupils, the parent or guardian
  1  5 is responsible for transporting the pupil without
  1  6 reimbursement to and from a point on a regular school bus
  1  7 route of the receiving district.  However, a receiving
  1  8 district may send school vehicles into the district of
  1  9 residence of the pupil using the open enrollment option under
  1 10 this section, for the purpose of transporting the pupil to and
  1 11 from school in the receiving district, if the boards of both
  1 12 the sending and receiving districts agree to this arrangement.
  1 13 If the pupil meets the economic eligibility requirements
  1 14 established by the department and state board of education,
  1 15 the sending district is responsible for providing
  1 16 transportation or paying the pro rata cost of the
  1 17 transportation to a parent or guardian for transporting the
  1 18 pupil to and from a point on a regular school bus route of a
  1 19 contiguous receiving district unless the cost of providing
  1 20 transportation or the pro rata cost of the transportation to a
  1 21 parent or guardian exceeds the average transportation cost per
  1 22 pupil transported for the previous school year in the
  1 23 district.  If the cost exceeds the average transportation cost
  1 24 per pupil transported for the previous school year, the
  1 25 sending district shall only be responsible for that average
  1 26 per pupil amount.  A sending district which provides
  1 27 transportation for a pupil to a contiguous receiving district
  1 28 under this subsection may withhold from the district cost per
  1 29 pupil amount, that is to be paid to the receiving district, an
  1 30 amount which represents the average or pro rata cost per pupil
  1 31 for transportation, whichever is less.
  1 32    Sec. 2.  Section 285.1, subsection 16, paragraphs b and c,
  1 33 Code 2005, are amended to read as follows:
  1 34    b.  As an alternative to paragraph "a" of this subsection,
  1 35 subject to section 285.9, subsection 3, where practicable, and
  2  1 at the option of the public school district in which a
  2  2 nonpublic school pupil resides, the school district may
  2  3 transport a nonpublic school pupil to a nonpublic school
  2  4 located outside the boundary lines of the public school
  2  5 district if the nonpublic school is located in a school
  2  6 district contiguous to the school district which is
  2  7 transporting the nonpublic school pupils, or may contract with
  2  8 the contiguous public school district in which a nonpublic
  2  9 school is located for the contiguous school district to
  2 10 transport the nonpublic school pupils to the nonpublic school
  2 11 of attendance within the boundary lines of the contiguous
  2 12 school district.
  2 13    c.  If the nonpublic school designated for attendance of a
  2 14 pupil is located outside the boundary line of the school
  2 15 district of the pupil's residence and the district of
  2 16 residence meets the requirements of subsections 14 to 16 of
  2 17 this section by using subsection 17, paragraph "c", of this
  2 18 section and the district in which the nonpublic school is
  2 19 located is contiguous to the district of the pupil's residence
  2 20 and is willing to provide transportation under subsection 17,
  2 21 paragraph "a" or "b", of this section, the district in which
  2 22 the nonpublic school is located may provide transportation
  2 23 services, subject to section 285.9, subsection 3, and may make
  2 24 the claim for reimbursement under section 285.2.  The district
  2 25 in which the nonpublic school is located shall notify the
  2 26 district of the pupil's residence that it is making the claim
  2 27 for reimbursement, and the district of the pupil's residence
  2 28 shall be relieved of the requirement for providing
  2 29 transportation and shall not make a claim for reimbursement
  2 30 for those nonpublic school pupils for which a claim is filed
  2 31 by the district in which the nonpublic school is located.
  2 32    Sec. 3.  Section 285.2, unnumbered paragraph 5, Code 2005,
  2 33 is amended to read as follows:
  2 34    Claims shall be accompanied by an affidavit of an officer
  2 35 of the public school district affirming the accuracy of the
  3  1 claim.  By February 1 and on or about June 15 of each year,
  3  2 the department shall certify to the department of
  3  3 administrative services the amounts of approved claims to be
  3  4 paid, and the department of administrative services shall draw
  3  5 warrants payable to school districts which have established
  3  6 claims.  Claims shall be allowed where practical, and at the
  3  7 option of the public school district of the pupil's residence,
  3  8 subject to approval by the area education agency of the
  3  9 pupil's residence, under section 285.9, subsection 3, the
  3 10 public school district of the pupil's residence may transport
  3 11 a pupil to a school located in a contiguous public school
  3 12 district outside the boundary lines of the public school
  3 13 district of the pupil's residence.  The public school district
  3 14 of the pupil's residence may contract with the contiguous
  3 15 public school district or with a private contractor under
  3 16 section 285.5 to transport the pupils to the school of
  3 17 attendance within the boundary lines of the contiguous public
  3 18 school district.  The public school district in which the
  3 19 pupil resides may contract with the contiguous public school
  3 20 district or with a private contractor under section 285.5 to
  3 21 transport the pupil from the pupil's residence or from
  3 22 designated school bus collection locations to the school
  3 23 located within the boundary lines of the contiguous public
  3 24 school district, subject to the approval of the area education
  3 25 agency of the pupil's residence.  The public school district
  3 26 of the pupil's residence may utilize the reimbursement
  3 27 provisions of section 285.1, subsection 3.
  3 28    Sec. 4.  Section 285.9, subsection 3, Code 2005, is amended
  3 29 by striking the subsection.
  3 30                           EXPLANATION
  3 31    This bill permits a receiving district to send a school
  3 32 vehicle into the school district of residence to transport a
  3 33 pupil participating in open enrollment to the receiving
  3 34 district.  The bill strikes a provision directing the area
  3 35 education agencies to approve all bus routes outside the
  4  1 boundary of the district of the school operating buses, and
  4  2 makes conforming changes.
  4  3 LSB 6052HH 81
  4  4 kh:nh/sh/8