| Sec. 20. Transportation. To ensure greater equity and adequacy in |
providing transportation services, beginning in fiscal year 2005- |
06, transportation costs must be included in the essential programs |
and services operating costs calculations and be based on school |
administrative unit pupil transportation densities and adjustments |
for in-district and out-of-district required special education and |
vocational education transportation costs and may include other |
factors that respond to unique costs in some school administrative |
units. Allowable transportation operating costs for a dead-end bus |
run must be based on the total mileage costs for both directions of |
the run. Beginning in fiscal year 2005-06, an appeals process to |
determine exceptions to the transportation operating cost for a |
school administrative unit must be implemented. All appeals must |
include, but may not be limited to, an analysis of cost efficiency |
and a cost comparison with school administrative units having |
comparable pupil transportation density indices. |