Sec. 10-264i. Transportation grants for interdistrict magnet school programs.

(a)(1)(A) A local or regional board of education, (B) a regional educational service center, (C) the Board of Trustees of the Community-Technical Colleges on behalf of Quinebaug Valley Community College and Three Rivers Community College, (D) a cooperative arrangement pursuant to section 10-158a, or (E) to assist the state in meeting its obligations pursuant to the decision in Sheff v. O’Neill, 238 Conn. 1 (1996), or any related stipulation or order in effect, as determined by the Commissioner of Education, (i) the Board of Trustees of the Community-Technical Colleges on behalf of a regional community-technical college, (ii) the Board of Trustees of the Connecticut State University System on behalf of a state university, (iii) the Board of Trustees for The University of Connecticut on behalf of the university, (iv) the board of governors for an independent institution of higher education, as defined in subsection (a) of section 10a-173, or the equivalent of such a board, on behalf of the independent institution of higher education, and (v) any other third-party not-for-profit corporation approved by the commissioner which transports a child to an interdistrict magnet school program, as defined in section 10-264l, in a town other than the town in which the child resides shall be eligible pursuant to section 10-264e to receive a grant for the cost of transporting such child in accordance with this section.

(2) Except as provided in subdivisions (3) and (4) of this subsection, the amount of such grant shall not exceed an amount equal to the number of such children transported multiplied by one thousand three hundred dollars.

(3) For districts assisting the state in meeting its obligations pursuant to the decision in Sheff v. O’Neill, 238 Conn. 1 (1996), or any related stipulation or order in effect, as determined by the commissioner, (A) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010, the amount of such grant shall not exceed an amount equal to the number of such children transported multiplied by one thousand four hundred dollars, and (B) for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2011, to June 30, 2019, inclusive, the amount of such grant shall not exceed an amount equal to the number of such children transported multiplied by two thousand dollars.

(4) In addition to the grants otherwise provided pursuant to this section, the Commissioner of Education may provide supplemental transportation grants to regional educational service centers for the purposes of transportation to interdistrict magnet schools. Any such grant shall be provided within available appropriations and after the commissioner has reviewed and approved the total interdistrict magnet school transportation budget for a regional educational service center, including all revenue and expenditure estimates. For the fiscal years ending June 30, 2013, to June 30, 2018, inclusive, in addition to the grants otherwise provided pursuant to this section, the Commissioner of Education may provide supplemental transportation to interdistrict magnet schools that assist the state in meeting its obligations pursuant to the decision in Sheff v. O’Neill, 238 Conn. 1 (1996), or any related stipulation or order in effect, as determined by the commissioner. Any such grant shall be provided within available appropriations and upon a comprehensive financial review, by an auditor selected by the Commissioner of Education, the costs of such review may be paid from funds that are part of the supplemental transportation grant. Any such grant shall be paid as follows: For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, up to fifty per cent of the grant on or before June 30, 2013, and the balance on or before September 1, 2013, upon completion of the comprehensive financial review; for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2014, up to fifty per cent of the grant on or before June 30, 2014, and the balance on or before September 1, 2014, upon completion of the comprehensive financial review; for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, up to fifty per cent of the grant on or before June 30, 2015, and the balance on or before September 1, 2015, upon completion of the comprehensive financial review; for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016, up to fifty per cent of the grant on or before June 30, 2016, and the balance on or before September 1, 2016, upon completion of the comprehensive financial review; for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2017, up to seventy per cent of the grant on or before June 30, 2017, and the balance on or before May 30, 2018, upon completion of the comprehensive financial review; and for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018, up to seventy per cent of the grant on or before June 30, 2018, and the balance on or before September 1, 2018, upon completion of the comprehensive financial review.

(5) The Department of Education shall provide such grants within available appropriations. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to prevent a local or regional board of education, regional educational service center or cooperative arrangement from receiving reimbursement under section 10-266m for reasonable transportation expenses for which such board, service center or cooperative arrangement is not reimbursed pursuant to this section.

(b) Grants under this section shall be contingent on documented costs of providing such transportation. Eligible entities identified in subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of this section shall submit applications for grants under this section to the Commissioner of Education in such form and at such times as he prescribes. Grants pursuant to this section shall be paid as follows: In October one-half of the estimated eligible transportation costs and the balance of such costs in May.

(c) Each eligible entity identified in subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of this section participating in the grant program shall prepare a financial statement of expenditures which shall be submitted to the Department of Education on or before September first of the fiscal year immediately following each fiscal year in which the school district, regional educational service center or cooperative arrangement participates in the grant program. Based on such statement, any underpayment or overpayment may be calculated and adjusted by the Department of Education in the grant for any subsequent year.

(P.A. 93-263, S. 10, 14; P.A. 95-226, S. 23, 30; P.A. 98-168, S. 21, 26; 98-252, S. 21, 80; 98-259, S. 3, 17; P.A. 03-76, S. 24; P.A. 04-213, S. 21; P.A. 06-135, S. 12; P.A. 08-170, S. 8; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-6, S. 25; P.A. 10-151, S. 3; 10-179, S. 58; P.A. 11-28, S. 10; 11-48, S. 196, 210; P.A. 12-120, S. 24; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1, S. 282; P.A. 13-31, S. 25; 13-247, S. 169; P.A. 14-65, S. 5; 14-217, S. 92; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5, S. 310, 311; P.A. 16-163, S. 22; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 16-3, S. 86; P.A. 17-14, S. 11; P.A. 18-51, S. 3; 18-139, S. 8.)

History: P.A. 93-263 effective June 28, 1993; P.A. 95-226 amended Subsec. (a) to apply provisions to regional educational service centers, to add reference to Sec. 10-264l, to specify that the funding for the grants be from the amount appropriated pursuant to Sec. 10-74d, to set a 5% limit, to add clarification concerning reimbursement under Sec. 10-266m and to make technical changes, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 98-168 amended Subsec. (a) to set the cap for the grant, to delete provision for grants to be paid from the amount appropriated pursuant to Sec. 10-74d and to substitute provision for payment within available appropriations, and added new Subsec. (d) re retention of up to 1% by Department of Education, effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 98-252 and 98-259 both made cooperative arrangements eligible for grants and made identical technical changes, effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 03-76 made a technical change in Subsec. (c), effective June 3, 2003; P.A. 04-213 amended Subsec. (a) by allowing the Board of Trustees of the Community-Technical Colleges on behalf of Manchester Community College to be eligible for grants and by making a technical change, effective June 3, 2004; P.A. 06-135 amended Subsec. (a) by increasing grant from $1,200 to $1,300, effective July 1, 2006; P.A. 08-170 amended Subsec. (a) to add Subdiv. designators (1) to (4), substitute Quinebaug Valley Community College for Manchester Community College and add Subdiv. (5) re stipulation re Sheff v. O’Neill and deleted Subsec. (d) re administrative set-aside, effective July 1, 2008; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-6 amended Subsec. (a) by dividing existing provisions into new Subdivs. (1), (2) and (5), redesignating existing Subdivs. (1) to (5) as Subparas. (A) to (E) and existing Subparas. (A) to (E) as clauses (i) to (v), adding language in redesignated Subdiv. (2) re exception, adding new Subdiv. (3) re transportation grants for fiscal years 2010 and 2011 and adding new Subdiv. (4) re supplemental transportation grants, and amended Subsecs. (b) and (c) by replacing provision re enumerated entities with provision re eligible entities identified in Subsec. (a)(1), effective October 5, 2009; P.A. 10-151 amended Subsec. (a)(4) by replacing “year” with “years” and adding “and June 30, 2010,”, effective June 8, 2010; P.A. 10-179 amended Subsec. (a)(4) by providing supplemental transportation grants to Hartford school district and Capitol Region Education Council for fiscal year ending June 30, 2010, effective May 7, 2010; P.A. 11-28 made a technical change in Subsec. (a)(4) effective June 3, 2011; P.A. 11-48 amended Subsec. (a)(3) by extending calculation of maximum grant amount by number of children transported times $2,000 dollars through fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, effective July 1, 2011, and amended Subsec. (a)(4) by adding provisions re supplemental transportation grants for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011, effective June 13, 2011; P.A. 12-120 amended Subsec. (a)(1)(C) by adding “and Three Rivers Community College”, effective July 1, 2012; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1 amended Subsec. (a)(4) by replacing “2011” with “2012” re provision of supplemental grants, adding provision re independent financial review to be conducted by an auditor selected by commissioner and replacing “seventy-five” with “fifty” and “2011” with “2012” re payment of grant, effective July 1, 2012; P.A. 13-31 made technical changes in Subsec. (a)(1), effective May 28, 2013; P.A. 13-247 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing “2013” with “2015” in Subdiv. (3) and by replacing “For the fiscal years ending June 30, 2009, and June 30, 2010, in” with “In” and adding provisions re supplemental transportation grants for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, and comprehensive financial review in Subdiv. (4), effective June 19, 2013; P.A. 14-65 made technical changes in Subsec. (a)(1), effective July 1, 2014; P.A. 14-217 amended Subsec. (a)(1), (3) and (4) by adding “as extended, or the goals of the 2013 stipulation and order for Milo Sheff, et al. v. William A. O’Neill, et al.,” and amended Subsec. (a)(4) by making existing provision re supplemental transportation for fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, applicable through fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, making existing provision re grant payment applicable to fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, and adding provision re grant payments applicable to fiscal years ending June 30, 2014, and June 30, 2015, effective July 1, 2014; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5 amended Subsec. (a) by adding “as extended” in Subdivs. (1)(E) and (3) and extending applicability to fiscal year ending June 30, 2017, in Subdiv. (3)(ii), effective July 1, 2015; P.A. 16-163 amended Subsec. (a)(3) by redesignating clauses (i) and (ii) as Subparas. (A) and (B), effective June 9, 2016; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 16-3 amended Subsec. (a)(4) by deleting provisions re supplemental transportation grants for fiscal years ending June 30, 2010, and June 30, 2012, making existing provision re supplemental transportation for fiscal years ending June 30, 2013, to June 30, 2015, applicable through fiscal year ending June 30, 2016, adding “as extended” in provision re 2013 stipulation and order for Milo Sheff, et al. v. William A. O’Neill, et al., and adding provision re grant payment for fiscal year ending June 30, 2016, effective June 2, 2016; P.A. 17-14 amended Subsec. (a)(4) by replacing “June 30, 2016” with “June 30, 2017” re supplemental transportation, and adding provision re grant payment for fiscal year ending June 30, 2017, effective May 31, 2017; P.A. 18-51 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing “the goals of the 2008 stipulation and order for Milo Sheff, et al. v. William A. O’Neill, et al., as extended, or the goals of the 2013 stipulation and order for Milo Sheff, et al. v. William A. O’Neill, et al., as extended” with “its obligations pursuant to the decision in Sheff v. O’Neill, 238 Conn. 1 (1996), or any related stipulation or order in effect”, amended Subsec. (a)(3)(B) by replacing “2017” with “2019”, and amended Subsec. (a)(4) by replacing “2017” with “2018”, adding provision re grant payment for fiscal year ending June 30, 2018, and making technical changes, effective July 1, 2018; P.A. 18-139 made a technical change in Subsec. (a)(4), effective June 11, 2018.