As part of the education funding omnibus bill for the fiscal year (FY) 2024 State School Aid Act, Section 22l, MCL 388.1622l, was added to provide for reimbursement for general education transportation for the first time in 30 years. While the study required under Section 22l to design a funding formula for this new regular transportation reimbursement categorical is currently underway, due to the timing of this study, Section 22l payments for the current school year (SY) will be made based upon prior SY2021-22 and SY2022-23 SE-4094 data following the formula provided for in Section 22l.

In order for school districts to have this regular transportation properly allocated going forward, transportation data must be accurately collected and submitted. The period for collecting transportation data for the SE-4159 RL for SY2023-24 will be Oct. 2-6. Section 22l funding will be based upon ridership and previous expenditures so it is critical school districts collect accurate data so that funding is not lost. Forms and resources may be found on the Michigan Department of Education’s website.