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Budget proposes $30 million school‑bus safety grants, transportation funding increases
Summary
Director Steve Dakin said the executive budget includes $30 million for school‑bus safety grants and $4 million for driver training, and proposes increases to transportation funding lines and funding floors for districts.
Steve Dakin, director of the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, told the Senate Education Committee the executive budget includes $30,000,000 for a school bus safety grant program to fund safety enhancements across the Ohio school bus fleet and $4,000,000 for expanded driver training.
Dakin said Safe Foundation funding represents the largest part of the department’s budget and that the governor’s budget recommends increases for Ohio students, schools and districts, including completing formula phase‑in, raising the minimum state share for transportation and updating enrollment and local capacity calculations.
Committee members raised transportation logistics, especially in urban centers with many school choice options. Dakin said noncompliance with transportation requirements has been concentrated in larger districts and cited district examples and associated fines: Columbus had 2,384 students affected and about $1,500,000 in fines; Cleveland had 749 students affected and about $117,000 in fines; Cincinnati had 65 students affected and roughly $1,100,000 in fines, reflecting complex logistics when many school options exist.
Dakin suggested the department would work with the General Assembly on transportation and noted pilot efforts and vendor solutions in some community‑school networks.
Ending: The department offered to work with lawmakers on pilot approaches and potential structural changes to transportation funding and responsibilities.
