OHIO — Chair of the Senate Education Committee Andrew Brenner says too many public school districts are refusing to bus charter and private school kids when they're required to by law.
Brenner said he is in communication with the House Education Committee and plans to introduce a bill addressing the growing school transportation issue once the legislative session resumes.
He said there are concerns about public school districts potentially profiting from the funds allocated for transporting students they do not actually transport.
According to Brenner, the state pays $1,500 per student who rides a bus. If a school district tells a child that it is impractical to bus them to school, they need to pay for that refusal. The minimum amount this school year is about $600 and maximum amount is $1,200. Neither reached the $1,500 that Brenner said the state pays to transport a child.
"They can be making the difference of what they don't pay," he said. "So that leads to the question, what are they doing with those additional dollars that they're being paid to transport students?"
Brenner suggested that the state could pay private or charter schools directly if they provide their transportation, thereby removing public schools from the equation.
He is also considering tightening the criteria for what is deemed impractical for public schools to transport students. He proposed that if more than 10% of potential bus riders are labeled as impractical, it should trigger a state audit.
Brenner acknowledged the counterarguments from public school districts, which cite a lack of drivers, money and resources as reasons for not transporting all students.
