Access to reliable home-to-school transportation for students improves attendance and cuts rates of chronic absenteeism, particularly for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Recent research from the University of Pennsylvania highlights evidence-based strategies to combat chronic absenteeism and found that safe and reliable school transportation ranks among the most impactful approaches. Thanks in part to CSBA advocacy, the 2022 California Budget Act included critical provisions for transportation in California school districts and county offices of education.
The legislation contains $637 million of ongoing funding for home-to-school transportation. This is the first increase to school transportation since 2013 and adds a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) beginning in 2023–24. Starting with the 2022–23 fiscal year, local educational agencies can be reimbursed up to 60 percent for eligible home-to-school transportation expenses for prior year eligible transportation spending and for their prior year Local Control Funding Formula transportation add-on. The act also included $1.5 billion in one-time funds over the next five years for LEAs to convert buses from gas to electric.
This ongoing transportation funding allows LEAs to expand and maintain access to transportation for some of their most vulnerable students. To receive this funding, LEAs will need to develop annual plans describing the transportation services they are providing to their students and how they will prioritize transportation services for students in transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, grades 1-6 and students from low-income backgrounds.
Regarding foster youth, Assembly Bill 490 allows children in foster programs to remain in their school of origin to provide stability and support their academic success. The transportation funds used for foster youth are not limited by any distance requirements, so partnering with community organizations, municipal services and other districts can help stretch funds further.
Yes. LEAs may develop their service plans in collaboration with local municipally owned transit systems.
- In what ways can our LEA engage with a diverse group of educational partners to develop an equity-focused transportation plan?
- How can our LEA tailor its plan to address students’ needs in unduplicated categories?
- What opportunities does our LEA have to partner with local municipal transportation services to expand access to home-to-school transportation for students?
- Does your LEA’s existing policies and practices include providing school of origin transportation for foster youth?
- CDE’s Home-to-school transportation webpage: www.cde.ca.gov/ls/tn/tr/
- Transportation staff contacts by region: www.cde.ca.gov/ls/tn/or/regionassign
- California Foster Youth Education Task Force guidance: bit.ly/3HpGwRf
For questions about funding transportation for foster youth, contact Andrew Peters in School Facilities and Transportation at the California Department of Education at apeters@cde.ca.gov.