(A) As used in this section:

(1) "Qualifying riders" means resident students enrolled in regular education in grades kindergarten to twelve who are provided school bus service by a school district and who live more than one mile from the school they attend, including students with dual enrollment in a joint vocational school district or a cooperative education school district, and students enrolled in a community school, STEM school, or nonpublic school.

(2) "Qualifying ridership" means the average number of qualifying riders who are provided school bus service by a school district during the first full week of October.

(3) "Rider density" means the total ADM per square mile of a school district.

(4) "School bus service" means a school district's transportation of qualifying riders in any of the following types of vehicles:

(a) School buses owned or leased by the district;

(b) School buses operated by a private contractor hired by the district;

(c) School buses operated by another school district or entity with which the district has contracted, either as part of a consortium for the provision of transportation or otherwise.

(B) Not later than the fifteenth day of October each year, each city, local, and exempted village school district shall report to the department of education its qualifying ridership and any other information requested by the department. Subsequent adjustments to the reported numbers shall be made only in accordance with rules adopted by the department.

(C) The department shall calculate the statewide transportation cost per student as follows:

(1) Determine each city, local, and exempted village school district's transportation cost per student by dividing the district's total costs for school bus service in the previous fiscal year by its qualifying ridership in the previous fiscal year.

(2) After excluding districts that do not provide school bus service and the ten districts with the highest transportation costs per student and the ten districts with the lowest transportation costs per student, divide the aggregate cost for school bus service for the remaining districts in the previous fiscal year by the aggregate qualifying ridership of those districts in the previous fiscal year.

(D) The department shall calculate the statewide transportation cost per mile as follows:

(1) Determine each city, local, and exempted village school district's transportation cost per mile by dividing the district's total costs for school bus service in the previous fiscal year by its total number of miles driven for school bus service in the previous fiscal year.

(2) After excluding districts that do not provide school bus service and the ten districts with the highest transportation costs per mile and the ten districts with the lowest transportation costs per mile, divide the aggregate cost for school bus service for the remaining districts in the previous fiscal year by the aggregate miles driven for school bus service in those districts in the previous fiscal year.

(E) The department shall calculate each city, local, and exempted village school district's transportation payment as follows:

(1) Multiply the statewide transportation cost per student by the district's qualifying ridership for the current fiscal year.

(2) Multiply the statewide transportation cost per mile by the district's total number of miles driven for school bus service in the current fiscal year.

(3) Multiply the greater of the amounts calculated under divisions (E)(1) and (2) of this section by the following:

(a) For fiscal year 2018, the greater of thirty-seven and one-half per cent or the district's state share index, as defined in section 3317.02 of the Revised Code;

(b) For fiscal year 2019, the greater of twenty-five per cent or the district's state share index.

(F) In addition to funds paid under division (E) of this section, each city, local, and exempted village district shall receive in accordance with rules adopted by the state board of education a payment for students transported by means other than school bus service and whose transportation is not funded under division (C) of section 3317.024 of the Revised Code. The rules shall include provisions for school district reporting of such students.

(G)

(1) For purposes of division (G) of this section, a school district's "transportation supplement percentage" means the following quotient: ( 50 - the district's rider density) / 100

If the result of the calculation for a district under division (G)(1) of this section is less than zero, the district's transportation supplement percentage shall be zero.

(2) The department shall pay each district a transportation supplement calculated according to the following formula:

The district's transportation supplement percentage X the amount calculated for the district under division (E)(2) of this section X 0.55

Amended by 132nd General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 49, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2017.

Amended by 131st General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 64, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2015.

Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. 25, HB 59, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.

Renumbered and amended from § 3306.12 by 129th General AssemblyFile No.28, HB 153, §101.01, eff. 6/30/2011.

Added by 128th General AssemblyFile No.9, HB 1, §101.01, eff. 7/17/2009.