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HB 1214

AN ACT to create and enact section 15.1-27-31.2 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to transportation weighted student unit equivalents; to amend and reenact sections 15.1-31-05 and 15.1-27-31.2 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to open enrollment transportation; to repeal sections 15.1-27-26.1, 15.1-27-27.1, 15.1-27-28.1, 15.1-27-30.1, and 15.1-27-31.1 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to payments for school district transportation of students, special education students, and career and technical education students, the distribution of transportation payments in the event of school district closure, and state transportation payments to school districts; and to provide an effective date.

69th Legislative Assembly (2025-26) Introduced by Jeff Barta and 10 co-sponsors

HB 1214 replaces old school transportation payments with a uniform, formula-based weighted student unit, tying aid to districts’ transportation activity and area.

Filed with Secretary Of State 05/06
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Bill Summary · HB 1214

HB 1214 — North Dakota (2025)

Short title: Transportation weighted student unit equivalents; repeal and replacement of existing school transportation payment statutes

Main purpose

HB 1214 replaces several existing statutes that governed state transportation payments to school districts and creates a new, formula‑based method for converting transportation activity (miles, runs, district area, etc.) into a transportation "weighted student unit equivalent." It (1) establishes a uniform set of factors and multipliers to compute a district’s transportation weighting, (2) ties state transportation payments to that weighted unit subject to appropriation, and (3) repeals prior, now‑superseded transportation payment sections.

Key provisions and changes

  • Creates new statute 15.1‑27‑31.2 establishing how to compute a district’s transportation average daily membership equivalents and convert them to a weighted student unit equivalent.
    • Transportation ADM equivalents are the sum of these components:
    • 0.00110 × eligible large bus miles
    • 0.00052 × eligible small bus miles
    • 0.01 × eligible large bus runs
    • 0.00468 × eligible small bus runs
    • 0.012 × square miles in the school district
    • 2.0 × number of educational school plants in the district
    • 0.00025 × eligible miles transported by a student’s family and reimbursed by the district
    • The total of the above is then multiplied by 0.091 to yield the district’s transportation weighted student unit equivalent.
  • Payment formula and floor:
    • Subject to legislative appropriation, the superintendent of public instruction shall pay each eligible district an amount equal to: (weighted student unit equivalent) × (per‑student payment rate specified in statute 15.1‑27‑04.1).
    • For districts whose eligible bus miles and runs are the same or increased from the prior year, the transportation payment may not be less than the payment received the prior year (a payment floor).
  • Eligibility and reporting:
    • Districts must certify compliance with state schoolbus standards and driver requirements; the superintendent may adopt rules for certification and reporting.
    • The superintendent is responsible for annual determinations using the latest available miles and runs and for prorating transportation equivalents in the first year after a district closure to districts that enroll former students.
  • Scope of eligible miles/runs:
    • Includes routine home‑to‑school transport, approved special education transport (including qualifying family‑provided trips reimbursed by districts, with limits), and career & technical education transport.
    • Excludes miles/runs for extracurricular activities and excludes factors associated with open‑enrolled students or students enrolled under a tuition‑waiving contract (these are not to be included in the transportation ADM equivalent calculation).
  • Repeals: sections 15.1‑27‑26.1, 15.1‑27‑27.1, 15.1‑27‑28.1, 15.1‑27‑30.1, and 15.1‑27‑31.1 (prior transportation payment provisions).

Who is affected

  • School districts statewide — changes how state transportation aid is calculated and distributed.
  • Students transported by district buses, commercial buses to city schools, special education students, and career & technical education students — their transportation counts (or exclusions) determine district funding.
  • Families who are reimbursed for transporting eligible students — reimbursed miles may be included under defined limits.
  • North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction — charged with calculation, certification oversight, rulemaking, and adjustments after district closure.

Procedural/timeline notes

  • Introduced: November 12, 2024.
  • Multiple drafts, Senate amendments, and conference committee amendments were prepared during the 2025 Legislative Assembly; the version provided contains conference committee language (Section numbers and numeric multipliers finalized in that draft).
  • Status (as provided): Filed with the Secretary of State 05/06 (materials indicate the bill proceeds through enactment steps; the bill includes a provision “to provide an effective date,” but the exact effective date is not shown in the documents provided).

Potential fiscal/operational impacts (high level)

  • Shifts transportation aid allocation to an activity‑based, formulaic model; may change distributions between districts depending on miles, runs, area, and facility counts.
  • Payments remain subject to legislative appropriation; the new floor provision limits year‑to‑year reductions for districts with stable or growing bus activity.
  • Administrative impact: Superintendent’s office will implement new reporting, certification, calculation, and rulemaking requirements.

If you want, I can:
- Extract the exact statutory cross‑references (e.g., per‑student payment rate under 15.1‑27‑04.1) and show how this interacts with current per‑student rates; or
- Prepare a short checklist districts can use to determine whether their current reporting will capture the new formula inputs.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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