The governing board of any school district may enter into a contract under the terms of which the school district grants the use of any schoolbus that is owned or leased by the school district to any federal, state, or local governmental agency for the purpose of providing transportation for employees of the agency to or from their places of employment, or both, if the following conditions are satisfied:

(a) Public transportation is not reasonably available to the agency’s employees at their place of employment.

(b) The school district normally provides transportation for pupils residing on the governmental agency’s property to or from school, or both.

(c) The transportation of the agency’s employees does not interfere with the school district’s use of schoolbuses for school transportation purposes.

(d) All schoolbus warning lights and exterior lettering or signs that identify the bus as a schoolbus are covered or removed during operation by the federal, state, or local governmental agency.

(e) Mechanical condition of a schoolbus during operation by the federal, state, or local governmental agency is maintained so as to meet or exceed those regulations promulgated by the State Department of Education pursuant to Section 39831 governing the operation of schoolbuses.

(f) Accurate records are maintained that reflect the actual number of miles any schoolbus is driven during times of operation by the federal, state, or local governmental agency, which records are to be made available to the Superintendent of Public Instruction in connection with the annual report of transportation expense made by the school district. The Superintendent of Public Instruction, in accordance with Section 39835, shall deduct from the allowances to a school district for transportation an amount equal to the depreciation of schoolbuses due to their use in transporting employees of a federal, state, or local governmental agency pursuant to this section.

(Added by Stats. 1999, Ch. 646, Sec. 14. Effective January 1, 2000.)