JFAC funds $600,000 pilot for student bus-routing software; districts to report savings

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee approved a one-time $600,000 appropriation for a student transportation routing software pilot program intended to evaluate route efficiencies and potential cost savings for school districts and charter schools.

Jared Tetro, budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, told the committee that the Division of Central Services had sought multiple enhancements; the routing software item had been reduced repeatedly as the budget process proceeded. "The original request was for $5,000,000," Tetro said. A House-floor bill had contained $2,200,000; the committee's motion reduced that to a $600,000 pilot.

Senator Woodward moved the FY2026 one-time $600,000 addition from the general fund for the Central Services division to fund a student transportation routing-software pilot; Representative Petzke seconded the motion. Tetro said the department's survey had received responses from about 70 districts and charters, and many indicated interest. The appropriation was structured at $1,500 per bus, which Tetro said would cover about 400 buses under the $600,000 appropriation.

Committee members debated scale and data sufficiency. Representative Petzke said the pilot should generate preliminary data and noted that one year of funding is the maximum for this line item: "This is the start. They will at least be able to report to us some data next year, and then we can decide whether or not we wanna continue with the pilot program at that time next year," Petzke said. Tetro said, if implemented in July with contracts in place and districts starting in August, districts would have about four months of data by the time the next session began and about a full year available for reporting back in the following legislative session.

Committee language adopted by unanimous consent requires participating districts and charters to collect necessary data to demonstrate the program's effectiveness, including cost and savings, and to report results to the legislature after a year of implementation. The motion passed on a recorded vote reported by the committee (committee summary reported 8 ayes, 2 nays in the Senate and 7 ayes, 3 nays in the House); the committee recorded a due-pass recommendation.