§ 16-21.1-8 - Statewide transportation system for all students to be established.
SECTION 16-21.1-8
§ 16-21.1-8 Statewide transportationsystem for all students to be established. – Notwithstanding the regional structure created in this chapter, the departmentof elementary and secondary education, in collaboration with the office ofstatewide planning of the department of administration, and the Rhode Islandpublic transit authority shall conduct a comprehensive study of all currenttransportation services for students in Rhode Island school districts in orderto develop a plan for the creation and implementation of a statewide system oftransportation of all students to and from school. The statewide schooltransportation system for all students shall be provided through a competitiverequest for proposals to which vendors of transportation services may respond.Effective upon the implementation of this statewide system of transportationfor all students, each school committee shall purchase the transportationservices for their own resident students by accessing this integrated statewidesystem of transportation on a fee-for-service basis for each child; provided,however, that any school committee that fulfills its transportation obligationsprimarily through the use of district-owned buses or district employees maycontinue to do so. The goals of the statewide system of transportation for allstudents shall be the reduction of duplication of cost and routes intransporting children from the various cities and towns using different buseswithin and between each city and town, the improvement of services to childrenthrough the development of shorter ride times and more efficient routes oftravel, and the reduction of cost to local school committees through achievingefficiency in eliminating the need for each school district to contract for andprovide these transportation services separately. The comprehensive study ofall current transportation services for students in Rhode Island schooldistricts and development of a plan for a statewide system of transportation ofall students to and from school shall be completed, with a report to thegeneral assembly by March 30, 2008.