This bill proposes an amendment to the transportation cost calculations within the school aid formula in West Virginia, shifting the basis from student enrollment to the daily school bus mileage traveled. The aim is to provide greater assistance to larger counties that are required to offer transportation to all students. Specifically, the bill modifies the allowance for transportation costs by replacing the previous measure of "the state average amount per pupil for each pupil receiving the aid within each county" with "school bus mileage traveled daily within each county."

Additionally, the bill outlines various percentages of transportation costs that counties will receive based on their density classification, as well as provisions for counties using alternative fuels for their bus systems. It also includes stipulations for insurance costs, bus replacement values, and the use of funds for school facility repairs. The overall goal is to ensure that transportation funding is more equitably distributed based on actual transportation needs rather than student numbers, thereby supporting larger counties in fulfilling their transportation mandates.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 18-9A-7