Senate locked in school busing cost debate

The Senate is locked in debate on an array of amendments to HB 256, the bill that cuts state reimbursement to school districts for their student busing costs. The amendments would do everything from strike the bill’s enacting clause, to cut out a clause that takes away $1.4 million from the Boise School District, to subject districts like Boise to mandatory state transportation audits and cut their funding if they don’t comply with audit recommendations. One, from Sen. Chuck Winder, R-Boise, would tell schools they can spend discretionary funds on field trips even though the state would no longer specifically reimburse costs for busing for field trips.