North Carolina § 115C-218 - 40. Charter school transportation.

§ 115C-218. 40. Charter school transportation.

The charter school may provide transportation for students enrolled at the school. The charter school shall develop a transportation plan so that transportation is not a barrier to any student who resides in the local school administrative unit in which the school is located. The charter school is not required to provide transportation to any student who lives within one and one-half miles of the school. At the request of the charter school and if the local board of the local school administrative unit in which the charter school is located operates a school bus system, then that local board may contract with the charter school to provide transportation in accordance with the charter school's transportation plan to students who reside in the local school administrative unit and who reside at least one and one-half miles of the charter school. A local board may charge the charter school a reasonable charge that is sufficient to cover the cost of providing this transportation. Furthermore, a local board may refuse to provide transportation under this section if it demonstrates there is no available space on buses it intends to operate during the term of the contract or it would not be practically feasible to provide this transportation. History (1995 (Reg. Sess., 1996), c. 731, s. 2; 1997-430, s. 5; 1997-443, s. 8.19; 1997-456, s. 55.4; 1998-212, s. 9.14A(a); 1999-243, s. 8; 2001-462, s. 1; 2004-118, s. 3; 2004-203, s. 45(b); 2006-69, s. 3(e); 2006-137, s. 2; 2007-59, s. 2; 2007-126, s. 2; 2007-323, s. 28.22A(o); 2007-345, s. 12; 2009-239, s. 1; 2009-563, s. 2; 2010-10, s. 2(a); 2011-93, s. 2(a); 2011-145, s. 7.29(b); 2011-164, s. 4; 2011-282, s. 9; 2012-142, ss. 7A.1(f), 7A.3(c), 7A.11(b); 2012-145, s. 2.5; 2012-179, s. 1(c); 2013-307, s. 1.1; 2013-355, s. 1(f); 2013-359, s. 1; 2013-360, ss. 8.43(a), 9.7(q); 2014-101, s. 7.) Charter School Transportation Grant Pilot Program. - Session Laws 2017-57, s. 7.35(a)-(e), provides: "(a) Purpose; Definition. - The Department of Public Instruction (Department) shall establish the Charter School Transportation Grant Pilot Program (Program). The purpose of the Program shall be to award grant funds to a charter school meeting the requirements of subsection (b) of this section for the reimbursement of up to sixty-five percent (65%) of the eligible student transportation costs incurred by the school in accordance with the provisions of this section. For purposes of this section, the term "eligible student transportation costs" means costs incurred by the charter school for (i) transportation fuel, (ii) vehicle maintenance, and (iii) contracted transportation services. "(b) Program Eligibility. - If a charter school has a student enrollment of at least fifty percent (50%) of its students residing in households with an income level not in excess of the amount required for a student to qualify for the federal free or reduced price lunch program in a semester of the school year, the charter school may apply to the Department for grant funds under the Program for reimbursement of up to sixty-five percent (65%) of the eligible student transportation costs incurred by the school for that semester. "(c) Applications. - By August 1, 2017, the Department shall establish the criteria and guidelines for the grant application process for the upcoming school year, including any documentation required to be submitted with the application. The Department shall accept applications until December 31, 2017, for eligible student transportation costs incurred during the fall semester of the school year and until May 30, 2018, for eligible student transportation costs incurred during the spring semester of the school year. "(d) Award of Funds. - From funds made available for the Program, the Department shall award grant funds under the Program to the selected charter schools by January 15, 2018, for eligible student transportation costs incurred during the fall semester of the school year and by June 15, 2018, for eligible student transportation costs incurred during the spring semester of the prior school year. The total amount of each grant awarded under the Program shall not exceed one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000). "(e) Reporting. - The Department shall provide a report by March 15, 2018, to the Fiscal Research Division, the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee, and the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee on the administration of the Program, including (i) the number of charter schools that received grant funds, (ii) the amount of grant funds awarded to those charter schools, (iii) whether implementing the Program has led to an increase in charter schools offering lunch, (iv) whether implementing the Program has led to an increase in student lunch participation at charter schools offering lunch, (v) whether implementing the Program has increased or expanded the offering of student transportation by charter schools, and (vi) the modes of student transportation offered by charter schools that received grant funds." Session Laws 2017-57, s. 1.1, provides: "This act shall be known as the 'Current Operations Appropriations Act of 2017.'" Session Laws 2017-57, s. 39.4, provides: "Except for statutory changes or other provisions that clearly indicate an intention to have effects beyond the 2017-2019 fiscal biennium, the textual provisions of this act apply only to funds appropriated for, and activities occurring during, the 2017-2019 fiscal biennium." Session Laws 2017-57, s. 39.6, is a severability clause. Session Laws 2018-5, s. 7.19, provides: "The Department of Public Instruction shall provide a report by December 1, 2018, to the Fiscal Research Division, the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee, and the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee on the results of the Charter School Transportation Grant Pilot Program (Program) established pursuant to Section 7.35 of S.L. 2017-57 for the 2017-2018 fiscal year. The report shall include (i) the number of charter schools that received grant funds, (ii) the amount of grant funds awarded to those charter schools, (iii) whether implementing the Program led to an increase in charter schools offering lunch, (iv) whether implementing the Program led to an increase in student lunch participation at charter schools offering lunch, (v) whether implementing the Program increased or expanded the offering of student transportation by charter schools, and (vi) the modes of student transportation offered by charter schools that received grant funds." Editor's Note. - This section is former G.S. 115C-238.29F(h). It has been renumbered as this section at the direction of the Revisor of Statutes, pursuant to Session Laws 2014-101, s. 7. Session Laws 2014-101, s. 8, provides, in part: "Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes law [August 6, 2014] and applies beginning with the 2014-2015 school year." Session Laws 2018-5, s. 1.1, provides: "This act shall be known as the 'Current Operations Appropriations Act of 2018.'" Session Laws 2018-5, s. 39.4, provides: "Except for statutory changes or other provisions that clearly indicate an intention to have effects beyond the 2018-2019 fiscal year, the textual provisions of this act apply only to funds appropriated for, and activities occurring during, the 2018-2019 fiscal year." Session Laws 2018-5, s. 39.7, is a severability clause.