School bus bill would give districts a full tank of gas

OLYMPIA – Hoping to give assistance to schools struggling to keep up with the increasing costs of transporting students to and from school, Sen. Phil Rockefeller, D-Kitsap County, has proposed a bill that would update the current transportation funding formula.

“Our transportation formula has not been changed significantly since the 1980s and a recent study found several structural and implementation problems with the current funding methodology,” said Rockefeller. “We need a new formula that will take into account the actual costs of transporting students and encourage efficient use of state resources.”

Senate Bill 5114 would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to develop two new options for a new formula, to be presented to the Legislature and Governor before the next legislative session. The formulas would have to reflect the actual mileage costs, instead of the current “as the crow flies” approach now used.

SB 5114 awaits a hearing before the Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee.

Return to Sen. Rockefeller's home page