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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 23, 2021 09:40 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Lisa M. Boscola |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Amending the Pupil Transportation Distance Requirements in the School Code |
| In the near future, I plan to reintroduce legislation to amend the Public School Code to reduce the ten-mile requirement for transporting students outside a school district. My bill would insert a five-mile requirement for schools to provide free transportation to pupils. Current law requires school districts to provide free transportation to resident pupils to and from school provided that the school is not operated for profit and is located within the district boundaries or outside the district boundaries at a distance not more than ten miles by nearest public highway. The exceptions to this requirement are for vocational technical schools or specials schools and classes approved by the Department of Education as well as educational field trips. Districts are tasked with busing an increasing number of students to schools outside their districts. These increased costs put a strain on local school district budgets the costs of which are often borne by local property taxes. It is my hope that reducing the mandated transportation requirement will prove a savings to school districts that can be passed along to local property owners. This legislation was introduced as SB 591 in the 2019-20 session. Co-sponsors included: Senators Brewster and Tartaglione. I invite you to join me in co-sponsoring this legislation. |