Oregon Public School Transportation Funding - The Chalkboard ...

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Comments from State/Local Officials o Provides some level of equity for all districts o Provides consistent service indicators through use of EDULOG and TIMS Report o Promulgates/maintains existing inequities o May sacrifice service levels for efficiency (Kids on buses longer) o Doesn’t cover Special Needs Transportation costs o Favors the wealthy districts, credit for using local money in budget rating Ohio (Predictive) Legal Context and Standards of Service Ohio regulations state districts with students in grades kindergarten through grade eight “shall provide transportation to and from …school.” The statute indicates districts are also allowed to provide transportation to students in grades nine through twelve. (RC 3327.01) Added provisions address special education students and students with disabilities. RC3301-83.01 allows the state to provide support for transportation to students (K-12) who live more than one mile from school. The impact of this provision was made clear when the state suspended the application of the formula, allowing districts to continue to collect current levels of support while cutting services. According to the Ohio Department of Education, one district eliminated transportation services for high school students but continues to receive approximately $5 million in annual state support provided for that purpose. The code also provides support for the transportation of non-public school students who attend a school within given limits. RC 3317.22 identifies the state support to be 60% of the formula defined amount for each local district. Bus purchases must be made within the limits prescribed by RC 3301-85-01 and are supported by state payments based on the number of students, miles traveled, local district valuation per student and median income. If a district determines buses are no longer needed, the district must consult with the state regarding the disposition of the units. School Transportation ECONorthwest January 2009 Page 26
Finance Method and the Interim Formula The current distribution formula adopted in 1998 and described below is still identified in rule and regulation, but has been suspended until a new formula can be defined, discussed and finally approved by the Ohio legislature. During the interim, schools districts will receive state support for transportation based on their 2005 support levels, increased each year by 2.0%, regardless of changes in service levels. The proposed new formula cannot be implemented until approved by the legislature, along with associated appropriations. This may not occur until June of 2009. Existing Formula (Currently Suspended) The existing formula requires all local districts to conduct a student count the first full week in October. They are to submit this information along with route information and miles traveled to the Ohio Department of Education (ODE.) The actual transportation operating cost amounts are to be submitted to ODE by August 1 of each year. Additionally, route information related to Special Education transportation is collected and RC 3301-83.01 includes provisions for added funding in certain situations. Existing Formula components: • Transportation base = number of students transported, minus pre-school students with disabilities, plus non-public school students • Daily miles per student transported = number of daily miles traveled, divided by the Transportation Base • Transportation Percentage = ADM divided by the Transportation Base Formula Application Regression analysis uses two independent variables, daily miles per student and the transported student percentage to determine the “average efficiency” cost. (Intercept and regression coefficients) The average efficiency is determined annually and is adjusted by multiplying the previous year’s cost times an inflation factor and two added indices for rough roads and student density. Fund Distribution The targeted 60% state support for transportation is distributed to the local district as a part of the monthly “foundation payments.” These twicemonthly payments are identified as “unrestricted funds and may be used at the district’s discretion. School Transportation ECONorthwest January 2009 Page 27
Page 1 and 2: Oregon Public School Transportation
Page 3 and 4: Table of Contents Executive Summary
Page 5 and 6: Key Findings The study opens with a
Page 7 and 8: • Simple cost efficiency measures
Page 9 and 10: Chapter 1 Introduction Background O
Page 11 and 12: The lower realized cost of transpor
Page 13 and 14: Chapter 3: Alternative Methods of S
Page 15 and 16: e. Promote health f. Adjust for unc
Page 17 and 18: Chapter 3 Alternative Methods of Sc
Page 19 and 20: Per Unit Allocation The Per Unit Co
Page 21 and 22: ORS 327.008 identifies state suppor
Page 23 and 24: • Districts deployed a variety of
Page 25 and 26: The Basic Calculation of Arizona’
Page 27 and 28: This formula was the result of work
Page 29 and 30: A funding cap is applied based on s
Page 31 and 32: The current formula for general edu
Page 33: North Carolina Funding Base Budget
Page 37 and 38: The current formula was relatively
Page 39 and 40: All calculations are obtained by mu
Page 41 and 42: The 2005-07 legislature required th
Page 43 and 44: o Local schools are confident in th
Page 45 and 46: Transportation Riders, Miles Driven
Page 47 and 48: Figure 3: Spending by Operational C
Page 49 and 50: Spending on Student Transportation
Page 51 and 52: There is at least one Oregon school
Page 53 and 54: Alspaugh (1996) finds that although
Page 55 and 56: a. Random shocks that affect the pr
Page 57 and 58: Kumbhakar, Ghosh, and McGuckin (199
Page 59 and 60: is the per rider cost of petroleum
Page 61 and 62: Wage Rate is an estimate of the ann
Page 63 and 64: Results of the Frontier Cost Functi
Page 65 and 66: Indicator variables for the Portlan
Page 67 and 68: Table 5: Cost-Efficiency Characteri
Page 69 and 70: 1. By developing the frontier-based
Page 71 and 72: Chapter 5 Introduction Alternative
Page 73 and 74: Option 2: Block Grant Block grants
Page 75 and 76: Table 11: Comparison of Block Grant
Page 77 and 78: • Equity: If only cost per mile i
Page 79 and 80: year t is the per rider wage rate o
Page 81 and 82: Option 5: Frontier efficiency formu
Page 83 and 84: Chapter 6 Conclusions & Recommendat
Page 85 and 86:
Finally, the selected option and im
Page 87:
US Census. Block Group Cartography
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Oregon Public School Transportation Funding - The Chalkboard ...

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