Committee holds contentious bill to rewrite school transportation funding and allow alternative vehicles

Representatives Dan Garner and Jack Nelson presented House Bill 293 to the House Education Committee, proposing a substantial rewrite of Idaho’s school transportation reimbursements and rules for permitted vehicles.

The sponsors said the bill would eliminate the current block-grant model—based on enrollment and other factors—and instead reimburse districts and charter schools at a flat 85 percent of verified mileage cost, while restoring $7,500,000 that had been removed in a prior recession. The bill also allows districts to use inspected, approved “authorized vehicles” (smaller passenger vans or cars) for certain trips and sets inspection, marking and driver-training requirements for those vehicles.

Supporters said the changes would simplify reimbursements and allow districts to right-size transportation for small groups and special needs trips. “This allows us to have that option to be more fiscally responsible with our transportation expenses and our tax dollars,” said Brandon Caldwell, superintendent in Madison School District, describing prior experience using vans in other states with additional driver training and inspections.

Opponents warned the bill could reduce student safety and penalize districts that operate traditional yellow-bus fleets. Lynette Dawe of Boise School District, a former state transportation auditor, testified the proposal “uses taxpayer dollars to endorse unsafe transportation,” arguing school buses are purpose-built with compartmentalization that offers superior crash protection and that adding vans to the cost pool would drive down the statewide cost-per-mile and thereby reduce reimbursement to districts that run district-operated bus fleets. “House Bill 2 93 is not the answer and puts the safety of children at risk,” Dawe said.

Student-transportation contractor Brent Carpenter testified the bill would “jeopardize safety and prioritize convenience over safety” and urged the committee to reject it. Department of Education staff member Gideon Tolman explained how current formula mechanics—particularly enrollment changes and virtual-student rules—produce large disparities in current reimbursements and answered questions about how some districts exceed 100 percent reimbursement under the existing block-grant model.

Sponsors pointed to a multi-row spreadsheet in committee materials showing winners and losers under a move to 85 percent reimbursement and the restored $7.5 million. Representative Nelson said the changes would better align state money to actual district costs and make future legislative increases flow directly to districts with higher mileage and operating costs.

Committee members raised detailed questions about safety, charter-school participation, impacts on districts that contract transportation, fiscal consequences of moving from a block grant to a mileage model, and whether virtual students should receive transportation-related reimbursements. Because the hearing generated multiple unresolved policy and safety questions, Representative Vandeiff moved to hold HB293 in committee to a time certain of March 5, 2025. The committee approved that motion by voice vote.

Why it matters: HB293 proposes a major rewrite of how Idaho funds student transportation and expands the kinds of vehicles that may be reimbursed. Supporters cite cost efficiency and simplification; critics cite student-safety, insurance and liability concerns and a complex distributional impact across districts.