OHIO LEGISLATIVE SERVICE COMMISSION
Office of Research Legislative Budget
www.lsc.ohio.gov and Drafting Office
S.B. 226 Bill Analysis
133rd General Assembly
Click here for S.B. 226’s Fiscal Note
Version: As Introduced
Primary Sponsor: Sen. Williams
Effective Date:
Hannah K. Wann, Research and Drafting Supervisor
SUMMARY
 Requires school districts to provide transportation to and from school for high school
students.
 Reverses the suspension of the transportation formula for FYs 2020 and 2021 for a flat
funding formula and, instead provides for payments under permanent law.
 Makes an appropriation.
DETAILED ANALYSIS
Required transportation for high school students
The bill requires school districts to provide transportation to and from school for high
school students who live more than two miles from their resident district school. Current law
requires districts to transport students in grades K-8. Under current law, districts may, but are
not required to, transport high school students. Under the bill, school districts must transport
resident high school students who attend community schools, STEM schools, and chartered
nonpublic schools as well, so long as the distance from those schools and the duration of
transportation time meets the standards of current law.1
Current law requires school districts to provide transportation to the district’s students
as well as to certain community school students and nonpublic students who reside in the
district. However, a district need not provide any transportation or payment in lieu of it for a
nonpublic, STEM, or community school student, if the direct drive time by school bus is more
than 30 minutes.
1 R.C. 3327.01.
May 7, 2020
Office of Research and Drafting LSC Legislative Budget Office
While these state transportation requirements apply only to students in grades K-8 who
live more than two miles from the school, the state also funds transportation service for high
school students and for students who live between one and two miles from the school.
For more information, about school transportation requirements, please see the LSC
Members Brief, volume 133, issue 14, at https://www.lsc.ohio.gov/documents/
reference/current/membersonlybriefs/133%20Transportation%20of%20Students.pdf.
Transportation funding
The bill reverses the flat funding for student transportation to school districts as
prescribed in H.B. 166 of the 133rd General Assembly, the main operating budget act, and
instead returns to the transportation formula payments under law prior to the passage of that
act. Under the bill, payments for districts are calculated by multiplying the greater of the
product of the statewide transportation cost per student by the district’s qualifying ridership in
the current fiscal year or the product of the statewide transportation cost per mile by the
district’s total number of miles driven for school bus service in the current fiscal year by the
greater of 25% or the district’s state share index.2
Appropriation
The bill appropriates $61 million in FY 2020 and $81 million in FY 2021 for GRF line item
200502, Pupil Transportation.3
HISTORY
Action Date
Introduced 10-21-19
S0226-I-133/ks
2R.C. 3317.0212; Sections 265.10, 265.150, 265.210, 265.215, and 265.220 of H.B. 166 of the 133rd
General Assembly.
3 Section 265.10 of H.B. 166.
P a g e |2 S.B. 226
As Introduced


Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 3317.0212, 3327.01, 265.10, 265.150, 265.210, 265.215, 265.220, H.B, 3317.02