2011 Ohio Revised Code
Title [33] XXXIII EDUCATION - LIBRARIES
Chapter 3317: FOUNDATION PROGRAM
3317.0212 Bus ridership.

The department of education shall make no payments under this section for fiscal year 2012 or 2013.

(A) As used in this section:

(1) “Assigned bus” means a school bus used to transport qualifying riders.

(2)”Nontraditional ridership” means the average number of qualifying riders who are enrolled in a community school established under Chapter 3314. of the Revised Code, in a STEM school established under Chapter 3326. of the Revised Code, or in a nonpublic school and are provided school bus service by a school district during the first full week of October.

(3) “Qualifying riders” means resident students enrolled in regular education in grades kindergarten to twelve who are provided school bus service by a school district and who live more than one mile from the school they attend, including students with dual enrollment in a joint vocational school district or a cooperative education school district, and students enrolled in a community school, STEM school, or nonpublic school.

(4) “Qualifying ridership” means the average number of qualifying riders who are provided school bus service by a school district during the first full week of October.

(5) “Rider density” means the number of qualifying riders per square mile of a school district.

(6) “School bus service” means a school district’s transportation of qualifying riders in any of the following types of vehicles:

(a)School buses owned or leased by the district;

(b)School buses operated by a private contractor hired by the district;

(c)School buses operated by another school district or entity with which the district has contracted, either as part of a consortium for the provision of transportation or otherwise.

(B) Not later than the fifteenth day of October each year, each city, local, and exempted village school district shall report to the department of education its qualifying ridership, nontraditional ridership, number of qualifying riders per assigned bus, and any other information requested by the department. Subsequent adjustments to the reported numbers shall be made only in accordance with rules adopted by the department.

(C)The department shall calculate the statewide transportation cost per student as follows:

(1) Determine each city, local, and exempted village school district’s transportation cost per student by dividing the district’s total costs for school bus service in the previous fiscal year by its qualifying ridership in the previous fiscal year.

(2)After excluding districts that do not provide school bus service and the ten districts with the highest transportation costs per student and the ten districts with the lowest transportation costs per student, divide the aggregate cost for school bus service for the remaining districts in the previous fiscal year by the aggregate qualifying ridership of those districts in the previous fiscal year.

(D)The department shall calculate the statewide transportation cost per mile as follows:

(1) Determine each city, local, and exempted village school district’s transportation cost per mile by dividing the district’s total costs for school bus service in the previous fiscal year by its total number of miles driven for school bus service in the previous fiscal year.

(2)After excluding districts that do not provide school bus service and the ten districts with the highest transportation costs per mile and the ten districts with the lowest transportation costs per mile, divide the aggregate cost for school bus service for the remaining districts in the previous fiscal year by the aggregate miles driven for school bus service in those districts in the previous fiscal year.

(E) The department shall calculate each city, local, and exempted village school district’s transportation base payment as follows:

(1)Multiply the statewide transportation cost per student by the district’s qualifying ridership for the current fiscal year.

(2) Multiply the statewide transportation cost per mile by the district’s total number of miles driven for school bus service in the current fiscal year.

(3)Multiply the greater of the amounts calculated under divisions (E)(1) and (2) of this section by the greater of sixty per cent or the district’s state share percentage, as defined in section 3317.02 of the Revised Code.

(F)The department shall calculate each city, local, and exempted village school district’s nontraditional ridership adjustment according to the following formula:

(nontraditional ridership for the current fiscal year / qualifying ridership for the current fiscal year) X 0.1 X transportation base payment

(G) If a city, local, or exempted village school district offers school bus service to all resident students who are enrolled in regular education in district schools in grades nine to twelve and who live more than one mile from the school they attend, the department shall calculate the district’s high school ridership adjustment according to the following formula:

0.025 X transportation base payment

(H) If a city, local, or exempted village school district offers school bus service to students enrolled in grades kindergarten to eight who live more than one mile, but two miles or less, from the school they attend, the department shall calculate an additional adjustment according to the following formula:

0.025 X transportation base payment

(I)(1) The department annually shall establish a target number of qualifying riders per assigned bus for each city, local, and exempted village school district. The department shall use the most recently available data in establishing the target number. The target number shall be based on the statewide median number of qualifying riders per assigned bus as adjusted to reflect the district’s rider density in comparison to the rider density of all other districts. The department shall post on the department’s web site each district’s target number of qualifying riders per assigned bus and a description of how the target number was determined.

(2) The department shall determine each school district’s efficiency index by dividing the district’s median number of qualifying riders per assigned bus by its target number of qualifying riders per assigned bus.

(3) The department shall determine each city, local, and exempted village school district’s efficiency adjustment as follows:

(a)If the district’s efficiency index is equal to or greater than 1.5, the efficiency adjustment shall be calculated according to the following formula:

0.1 X transportation base payment

(b)If the district’s efficiency index is less than 1.5 but equal to or greater than 1.0, the efficiency adjustment shall be calculated according to the following formula:

[(efficiency index 1) / 5] X transportation base payment

(c) If the district’s efficiency index is less than 1.0, the efficiency adjustment shall be zero.

(J) The department shall pay each city, local, and exempted village school district the lesser of the following:

(1) The sum of the amounts calculated under divisions (E) to (H) and (I)(3) of this section;

(2) The district’s total costs for school bus service for the prior fiscal year.

(K) In addition to funds paid under division (J) of this section, each city, local, and exempted village district shall receive in accordance with rules adopted by the state board of education a payment for students transported by means other than school bus service and whose transportation is not funded under division (C) of section 3317.024 of the Revised Code. The rules shall include provisions for school district reporting of such students.

Renumbered and amended from §3306.12 by 129th General Assembly File No. 28, HB 153, § 101.01, eff. 6/30/2011.

Added by 128th General Assembly File No. 9, HB 1, § 101.01, eff. 7/17/2009.