Over the past 30 years, as Georgia’s population has grown, public schools in most districts have seen increased enrollment, fuel prices have risen, and labor costs have soared. The state’s student transportation budget has expanded, too, tripling in size.
Owens of GBPI said the state’s 2022 appropriation for buses “is a wonderful and welcome investment, and I hope it’s a sign of more to come.” But, he noted, because pupil transportation is a separate education budget expense category not integrated into the QBE funding formula, “lawmakers can continue to spend the same amount on transportation year after year, and rightfully say that they fully funded QBE. But what they’re funding does not come close to covering the true cost of transportation.”
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