(a) For the 1992–93 fiscal year, from Section A of the State School Fund, the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall apportion to each school district or county superintendent of schools, as appropriate, an amount computed pursuant to this section. School districts and county superintendents of schools that provide transportation services by means of a joint powers agreement, a cooperative pupil transportation program, or a consortium shall receive transportation allowances pursuant to this section.

(b) For the 1992–93 fiscal year, each school district or county office of education shall receive a home-to-school transportation apportionment equal to the transportation allowance received in the prior fiscal year reduced by the amount of the special education transportation allowance identified pursuant to Section 41851.5.

(c) For the 1993–94 fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter, each school district or county office of education shall receive the same home-to-school transportation allowance received in the prior fiscal year, but in no event shall that home-to-school transportation allowance exceed the prior year’s approved home-to-school transportation costs, increased by the amount provided in the Budget Act.

(d) For the 1993–94 and each fiscal year thereafter, each county unified school district for which the county board of education serves as the governing board that meets all of the following criteria shall receive an apportionment in addition to the amount received pursuant to subdivision (c) of three hundred fifty thousand dollars ($350,000):

(1) Over 50 percent of the pupils enrolled in the school district require home-to-school transportation services.

(2) Total enrollment of the school district is less than 3,500.

(3) Total miles driven each fiscal year for home-to-school transportation exceeds 350,000.

(4) The school district received an apportionment pursuant to this subdivision in the 2000–01 and 2001–02 fiscal years.

(e) If, in any fiscal year, a county unified school district operates one or more necessary small schools pursuant to Article 4 (commencing with Section 42280) of Chapter 7 that the district did not operate in the 1994–95 fiscal year, that district may not receive an apportionment pursuant to subdivision (d) in that fiscal year or in any subsequent fiscal year.

(f) If a later enacted statute amends subdivision (b) of Section 42280 or amends or adds any other provision of law authorizing a county unified school district that has 3,001 or more units of average daily attendance to be designated as a small school district for the purposes of Article 4 (commencing with Section 42280) of Chapter 7, subdivision (d) shall become inoperative on the date that the later enacted statute becomes operative.

(g) Each county unified school district that receives an additional apportionment pursuant to subdivision (d) shall report, by September 1 of each year, commencing with September 1, 1995, on the amount of revenues received and the funds expended for the home-to-school transportation program in the prior fiscal year. The report shall be submitted to the fiscal committees and education policy committees of the Legislature and to the Legislative Analyst.

(Amended by Stats. 2003, Ch. 512, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2004.)