Board To Discuss Busing Private School Kids Districts Told They Should Charge Cost Of Transportation

A new attorney general’s opinion, which says school districts must set the charge for transporting non-public or parochial students on public school buses high enough to cover costs, will come under discussion by the state Board of Education next week.

State Sen. Denton Darrington, R-Declo, said he will take the opinion from Attorney General Alan Lance to the board meeting Thursday at Eagle.

It says either the state Department of Education, or local school districts, can figure the cost of transporting non-public students. But whatever the rate, it must be enough to cover actual additional cost.

A task force is working on the final version of revised operating rules for kindergarten through 12th grade. Darrington, chairman of the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee, is a member of the task force.

Some districts have not charged for transporting parochial or private school students if there was room on buses and the district did not incur any additional cost.

The proposed rules called for districts to calculate the cost of transporting each student, and then charge the non-public students that amount.

Parochial school spokesman say that could triple their costs, making the use of public transportation prohibitively expensive.

Anne Fox, state schools superintendent, said the goal is figuring out a rate that is fair to everyone.

“Everyone in our state wants our students to get a good education and have the best opportunity, and transportation is part of it,” she said.

She said school district patrons pay for transportation through their taxes. “We’re trying to do what is right for the parents, taxpayers and their children,” she said.

Some districts got the impression that non-public students would be charged $3.22 per day if they rode on public school buses. Fox said that’s wrong, the decision hasn’t been made yet.

She said the problem now is deciding how the full cost of transporting non-public students on public buses will be calculated.

Nick Hallett, superintendent of the Minidoka County School District, testified at a hearing that the proposed rule should be changed so parochial students at St. Nicholas School, Rupert, could ride public school buses and be charged only the additional cost of transporting them.