Ohio Admin. Code 3301-83-01 - [Effective 7/1/2025] Calculation of pupil transportation operation payments

(A) Formula for calculation of regular education payment amounts.

(1) Type I (board-owned and operated school buses):

(a) Funding is computed and distributed as specified in section 3317.0212 of the Revised Code.

(b) Qualifying ridership is defined according to division (A) of section 3317.0212 of the Revised Code.

(2) Type II (contractor-owned and operated school buses):

(a) Funding is computed and distributed as specified in section 3317.0212 of the Revised Code.

(b) Qualifying ridership is defined according to division (A) of section 3317.0212 of the Revised Code.

(3) Other types of transportation service: In accordance with division (G) of section 3317.0212 of the Revised Code, payment will be made to each district for transportation service provided for students on other than board-owned or contractor-operated buses. This payment applies to eligible students that use transportation services, as reported on the T-1 and T-2 reports submitted to the department of education and workforce.

(a) Type III (public utility) - an amount per pupil equal to thirty-five per cent of the amount as calculated in division (C) of section 3317.0212 of the Revised Code.

(b) Type V (board-owned vehicles other than school buses) - an amount per pupil equal to fifty per cent of the amount as calculated in division (C) of section 3317.0212 of the Revised Code.

(c) Type VI (privately-owned vehicles other than school buses) - an amount per pupil equal to fifty per cent of the amount as calculated in division (C) of section 3317.0212 of the Revised Code.

(B) Reimbursement for special education transportation.

(1) Reimbursement for special transportation may be approved by the department for children with disabilities attending a special education program approved by the department of education and workforce and/or attending a regular class in a public school, and who have transportation appropriately identified as a related service on their individual education plans.

(2) For eligible children with disabilities, the department will calculate reimbursement in accordance with division (C) of section 3317.024 of the Revised Code.

(3) Reimbursement may be made for transportation of pupils in authorized vehicles as defined in rule 3301-83-19 of the Administrative Code. A privately owned vehicle utilized to transport a pupil of the family is not subject to regulation other than that required by state law.

(4) Special education transportation reimbursement does not apply to transportation of children with disabilities who ride on regular school buses on regular routes. They are to be counted and reported on the department's T-1 and T-2 forms as regular education riders; except that if fifty per cent or more of the passengers on a route are children with disabilities, the cost can be prorated and reported to the department for reimbursement.

(5) The department will provide forms for reporting reimbursement claims for transportation of eligible children with disabilities.

(C) Reporting and annual adjustments

(1) In order to receive transportation operation payments each school district will file annual reports of all pupils transported, miles traveled, actual costs, and other necessary information for the purposes of calculation and adjustments in amount due. Pupils transported and miles traveled are to be reported by vehicle as the average daily number of eligible pupils actually transported and miles traveled during the first full week of October that school is in session for five days. Actual cost is to be reported by vehicle on or before the last day of August following the close of the fiscal year.

(2) All adjustments by transportation service type are to be made within the first quarter following the close of the fiscal year.

(D) Vehicles approved for use and operational payment: Transportation operation payments may be made for the use of authorized vehicles, as described in rule 3301-83-19 of the Administrative Code, for transportation of pupils to and from school and school related events that conform to state and federal law.

(E) Operational regulations

(1) Funding will be received for pupils who are eligible for transportation services according to section 3327.01 of the Revised Code.

(2) Miles traveled to transport eligible pupils participating in an open enrollment program may be reported for payment purposes by the resident district from home to the designated border pick-up point and by the educating school district from the border pick-up point to the building of attendance in the educating district. If the educating district or the resident district provides all the open enrollment transportation for a student, the miles may be reported by the district providing the service.

(3) Miles traveled from bus storage location or school building to first student pick-up, all route miles, and return to storage both a.m. and p.m., including kindergarten miles, are approved for payment purposes.

(4) Miles traveled to and from storage locations outside the county or counties of the school district location are not approved miles for payment purposes. Miles traveled from county line to first pick-up and return to county line are approved miles.

(5) Total annual miles for payment purposes are calculated by multiplying total daily miles by one hundred eighty days.

(6) Recalculation of pupil transportation operation payment amount due may be approved when:

(a) Local board policy or routing is revised to provide transportation service for additional pupils or increased miles on or before the first of February, and providing such change in policy is to continue in effect for the remainder of the school year; or

(b) A community or nonpublic school is chartered for operation subsequent to the initial reporting period; or

(c) School district erroneously reports or the department errs in actual calculation of amount due.

(7) School districts contracting with transit authorities for the purpose of transporting eligible pupils to and from school may be reimbursed if:

(a) The transit authority director files with the district board of education actual costs in excess of, or less than, reimbursement as provided for by paragraph (A)(3) of this rule by the close of each fiscal year; and

(b) The district board of education files with the department all transit authority and local board costs on or before the twentieth day of July of each year.

Replaces: 3301-83-01

Notes

Ohio Admin. Code 3301-83-01

Effective: 7/1/2025
Five Year Review (FYR) Dates: 07/01/2030
Promulgated Under: 119.03
Statutory Authority: 4511.76, 3301.07
Rule Amplifies: 4511.76, 3317.0212
Prior Effective Dates: 11/01/1975, 12/28/1977, 12/28/1979, 03/22/1982, 04/01/1984, 05/01/1986, 04/01/1988, 05/01/1992, 05/06/1994, 10/01/2004, 05/19/2006, 02/25/2007, 03/25/2010, 05/13/2019