Budget Amendment ID: FY2024-S3-627

EDU 627

Controlling School Transportation Costs

Messrs. Tarr and O'Connor moved that the proposed new text be amended by inserting after section ____ the following section:-

"Section ___. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education , in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation, the Operational Services Division, and the Secretary of Administration and Finance, shall study and evaluate the feasibility of establishing and maintaining a process for the setting of  rates for the transportation of public school students through contracts with private providers for this purpose,  the establishment of a statewide registry of school transportation vendors, and the facilitation and authorization of purchasing collaboratives for school transportation  Said study and evaluation shall include, but not be limited to, the impacts on cost containment of  consolidation and a limited number of providers, the potential benefits and negative aspects of utilizing a rate setting system, a registry, and/or purchasing collaboratives , rate setting mechanisms in use in the Commonwealth in other areas and applicable analogous features , any similar rate setting systems in use in other states or political subdivisions, the necessary infrastructure for the commonwealth to develop, implement, and maintain such a rate setting process, registry,and/or collaboratives, and a cost estimate for these actions. Said study and evaluation, together with any legislative recommendations, shall be filed with the Senate and House Committees on Ways and Means, the Joint Committees on Education and Transportation, and the clerks of the House and Senate, whom shall post them electronically so as to enable public inspection, not later than March 31, 2024."