Sections 2-6 of this bill establish the Transportation Modernization Grants Program Account and provide for the administration and award of grants to: (1) improve access to reliable and safe transportation for pupils who attend charter schools or public schools outside the pupils' zones of attendance; and (2) support innovative and efficient transportation options in school districts. Section 3 of this bill establishes the Account, requires the Account to be administered by the Department of Education and provides that money in the Account does not revert at the end of a fiscal year. Section 4 of this bill requires the Department to award grants of money from the Account to a nonprofit organization that has experience awarding to school districts and charter schools grants that promote expanding educational options for pupils or innovative approaches to education. Section 4 requires a nonprofit organization receiving such a grant to develop an application and procedures for awarding grants of money to school districts, charter schools and other entities. Under section 4, a nonprofit organization is prohibited from using more than 5 percent of such grants for administrative expenses and is required to award: (1) grants to school districts, charter schools and other entities based on demand and the most innovative solutions to providing reliable and safe transportation to pupils; and (2) at least 25 percent of the amount of such grants to school districts, charter schools and other entities in counties whose population is less than 100,000 (currently counties other than Clark and Washoe Counties). Section 5 of this bill establishes reporting requirements for a nonprofit organization making such grants to school districts, charter schools and other entities. Section 6 authorizes the Department to adopt regulations to carry out the provisions of sections 2-6. Section 8 of this bill makes an appropriation to the Account.
Existing law requires a legislative appropriation to be made for each fiscal year of the biennium to each school district to provide transportation for pupils and any other similar service that the Legislature deems appropriate. (NRS 387.1214) Section 7 of this bill authorizes a school district to use such an appropriation to provide grants to parents or guardians of pupils enrolled in the school district for the purpose of supporting individual parents or guardians or neighborhood carpools in the transportation of pupils to and from school. Section 7 requires the State Board of Education to adopt regulations related to the application for such grants, the procedures for the distribution and accounting of such grants and the method of reporting certain information to the Department.