Ltr2-09: Special Purpose

April 20, 2010

Dear County Superintendents of Schools and Treasurers:

NOTICE OF THE SPECIAL PURPOSE APPORTIONMENT
FOR THE PUPIL TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM
APRIL 2010 CERTIFICATION
FISCAL YEAR 2009-10

This apportionment, in the amount of $488,848,039, is made from funds provided in Schedule (1) of Item 6110-111-0001, Pupil Transportation Program, of the Budget Act of 2009 (Chapter 1, Statutes of 2009, Third Extraordinary Session as amended by Chapter 1, Statutes of 2009, Fourth Extraordinary Session). This apportionment certifies final 2009-10 entitlements for Pupil Transportation (Home-to-School and Special Education) that were calculated based on 2008-09 unaudited actual data submitted on the Form TRAN, Annual Report of Pupil Transportation.

County superintendents are requested to immediately notify the local educational agencies (LEAs) in their county of this apportionment. This letter, and the items listed below can be found on the California Department of Education (CDE) Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/ca/pupiltransport.asp.

1. Schedule of the Special Purpose Apportionment for the Pupil Transportation Program (LEA data)
2. Schedule of the Special Purpose Apportionment, Monthly Payments by County (county level monthly data)
3. County Summary of the Special Purpose Apportionment (county level annual data)
4. Monthly Schedule of the Special Purpose Apportionment (LEA level monthly data)

Pursuant to the provisions of California Education Code Section 14041, payments for the Special Purpose Apportionment are made in twelve installments beginning July 2009 and ending June 2010. The July and August payments are equal to five percent of each LEA’s estimated deficited entitlement, and the September through March payments are equal to nine percent of each LEA’s estimated deficited entitlement. The April and May payments are equal to nine percent of each LEA’s actual deficited entitlement. The June payment is equal to each LEA’s actual deficited entitlement less payments made for July through May.

Calculation of Entitlements

Final fiscal year 2009-10 entitlements for Pupil Transportation (Home-to-School and Special Education) have been certified to reflect 2008-09 unaudited actual data submitted on the Form TRAN, Annual Report of Pupil Transportation, and the 19.84 percent funding reduction enacted in Control Section 12.42 of the Budget Act of 2009. The budget act did not provide funding for growth or a cost of living adjustment (COLA).

Please note the following:

• Pursuant to Section 25 of Senate Bill 4 of the Third Extraordinary Session (Chapter 12, Statutes of 2009), the $52.6 million deferral of transportation funding from 2008-09 to 2009-10 was permanently eliminated. As a result, school districts and county offices of education will receive full payment for both their Home-to-School and Special Education Transportation entitlements through the 2009-10 Special Purpose Apportionment. There will be no portion paid in a separate apportionment in July 2010.

• The Monthly Schedule of the Special Purpose Apportionment identifies the final 2009-10 Home-to-School Transportation entitlement for each participating school district and county office of education, and total payments through June 2010. This transportation entitlement is the allowance for non-special education pupils and special education pupils who are not severely disabled or orthopedically impaired (non-SD/OI).  School districts and county offices of education are entitled to the lesser of their 2008-09 approved home-to-school expenses (reported on Form TRAN) or their 2008-09 Home-to-School entitlement, less the Control Section 12.42 reduction.

• The Monthly Schedule of the Special Purpose Apportionment identifies the final 2009-10 Special Education Transportation entitlement for each participating school district and county office of education, and total payments through June 2010. This transportation entitlement is the allowance for pupils who are SD/OI. School districts and county offices of education are entitled to the lesser of their 2008-09 approved SD/OI transportation expenses or their 2008-09 Special Education Transportation entitlement, less the Control Section 12.42 reduction.

• School districts and county offices of education that were unable to expend up to their full fiscal year 2007-08 entitlements due to the funding deferral from 2007-08 to 2008-09 did not have their entitlements reduced for 2008-09. However, school districts and county offices of education must have spent all 2007-08 entitlements deferred to 2008-09 as well as their fiscal year 2008-09 entitlements by the end of fiscal year 2008-09 to avoid a reduction in their fiscal year 2009-10 entitlements.

Charter Schools

Charter schools, with few exceptions, receive Pupil Transportation funding through the charter school funding model (California Education Code, commencing with Section 47633). This funding model provides categorical block grant funds in lieu of various categorical programs, including Pupil Transportation. These block grant funds are allocated as part of the Principal Apportionment process.

Beginning in 2006-07, the Pupil Transportation program is included on the list of programs for which charter schools may not apply separately due to its inclusion in the Charter School Categorical Block Grant. Essentially, charter schools will receive funding for the Pupil Transportation program through the block grant. LEAs and charter schools may wish to consider this in their discussions about how to provide transportation services to charter school pupils.

For standardized account code structure coding, use Resource Code 7230, Transportation: Home to School, or Resource Code 7240, Transportation: Special Education (SD/OI), and Revenue Object Code 8311, Other State Apportionments-Current Year, for both home-to-school and special education transportation. For prior-year adjustments, use Revenue Object Code 8319, Other State Apportionments-Prior Year.

If you have any questions regarding this apportionment, please contact Christina Schlueter, Fiscal Analyst, Categorical Programs and Management Assistance Office, by phone at 916-324-9806 or by e-mail at cschlueter@cde.ca.gov [Note: the preceding contact information is no longer valid and has been replaced by Julie Klein Briggs, Fiscal Consultant, Categorical Allocations & Management Assistance Unit, by phone at 916-323-6191 or by e-mail at jbriggs@cde.ca.gov.]

Sincerely,

Susan Lange, Deputy Superintendent
Finance, Technology, and Administration Branch