Chapter
266
2006 -- S 2489 SUBSTITUTE A
Enacted 07/03/06
A N A
C T
RELATING TO EDUCATION
-- TRANSPORTATION OF PUPILS BEYOND CITY AND TOWN LIMITS
Introduced By: Senators
Paiva-Weed, Issa, Sosnowski, Gallo, and Breene
Date Introduced: February
09, 2006
It is
enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION
1. Chapter 16-21.1 of the General Laws entitled "Transportation of School
Pupils
Beyond City and Town Limits" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following
sections:
16-21.1-7.
Statewide transportation of students with special needs. – Notwithstanding
the
regional structure created in this chapter, and pursuant to the obligation of
school committees
to
transport children with special needs to and from school either within the
school district or in
another
school district of the state created by section 16-24-4, the department of
elementary and
secondary
education, in collaboration with the office of statewide planning of the
department of
administration,
and the Rhode Island public transit authority shall develop a plan for the
creation
and
implementation of a statewide system of transportation of students with special
needs to and
from
school. The statewide school transportation system for children with special
needs shall be
provided
through a competitive request for proposals to which vendors of transportation
services
may
respond. Effective upon the implementation of this statewide system of
transportation for
students
with special needs, each school committee may purchase the transportation
services for
their
own resident students with special needs by accessing this integrated statewide
system of
transportation
for children with special needs on a fee-for-service basis for each child. The
goals
of
the statewide system of transportation for students with special needs shall be
the reduction of
duplication
of cost and routes in transporting children from the various cities and towns
to the
same
special education program providers using different buses from each city and
town, the
improvement
of services to children through the development of shorter ride times and more
efficient
routes of travel, and the reduction of cost to local school committees through
achieving
efficiency
in eliminating the need for each school district to contract for and provide
these
specialized
transportation services separately.
16-21.1-8.
Statewide transportation system for all students to be established. –
Notwithstanding
the regional structure created in this chapter, the department of elementary
and
secondary
education, in collaboration with the office of statewide planning of the
department of
administration,
and the Rhode Island public transit authority shall conduct a comprehensive
study
of
all current transportation services for students in Rhode Island school
districts in order to
develop
a plan for the creation and implementation of a statewide system of
transportation of all
students
to and from school. The statewide school transportation system for all students
shall be
provided
through a competitive request for proposals to which vendors of transportation
services
may
respond. Effective upon the implementation of this statewide system of
transportation for all
students,
each school committee may purchase the transportation services for their own
resident
students
by accessing this integrated statewide system of transportation on a
fee-for-service basis
for
each child. The goals of the statewide system of transportation for all
students shall be the
reduction
of duplication of cost and routes in transporting children from the various
cities and
towns
using different buses within and between each city and town, the improvement of
services
to
children through the development of shorter ride times and more efficient
routes of travel, and
the
reduction of cost to local school committees through achieving efficiency in
eliminating the
need
for each school district to contract for and provide these transportation services
separately.
The
comprehensive study of all current transportation services for students in
Rhode Island
school
districts and development of a plan for a statewide system of transportation of
all students
to
and from school shall be completed, with a report to the general assembly by
January 15, 2007.
SECTION
2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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LC02001/SUB A
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