School bus drivers; provide annual salary supplement.

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To: Appropriations
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Senator(s) Barrett

SENATE BILL NO. 2513

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 37-151-85, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, 1
TO PROVIDE THAT EACH SCHOOL BUS DRIVER SHALL RECEIVE AN ANNUAL 2
SALARY SUPPLEMENT IN THE AMOUNT OF $5,000.00; AND FOR RELATED 3
PURPOSES. 4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 5
SECTION 1. Section 37-151-85, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 6
amended as follows: 7
37-151-85. (1) Using those funds appropriated by the 8
Legislature for transportation purposes, the amount to be allotted 9
by the State Board of Education for transportation shall be 10
determined as follows: 11
The State Department of Education shall calculate the cost of 12
transportation in school districts by ascertaining the average 13
cost per pupil in net enrollment of transported pupils in school 14
districts classified in different density groups, as determined by 15
the State Department of Education. Based on these calculations, 16
the State Department of Education shall develop a scale for 17
determining the allowable cost per pupil in different density 18
groups, which scale shall provide greatest allowance per pupil 19
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transported in school districts with lowest densities and smallest 20
allowance per pupil in school districts with highest densities. 21
The total allowance under this section for transported children 22
for any school district for the current year shall be the net 23
enrollment of the transported children for months two (2) and 24
three (3) of the prior year, multiplied by the allowance per 25
transported pupil as provided herein. However, the State 26
Department of Education is authorized and empowered to make proper 27
adjustments in allotments, under rules and regulations of the 28
State Board of Education, in cases where major changes in the 29
number of children in net enrollment transported occur from one 30
(1) year to another as a result of changes or alterations in the 31
boundaries of school districts, a change in or relocation of 32
attendance centers, or for other reasons which would result in 33
major decrease or increase in the number of children in net 34
enrollment transported during the current school year as compared 35
with the preceding year. Moreover, the State Board of Education 36
is hereby authorized and empowered to make such payments to all 37
districts and/or university-based programs as deemed necessary in 38
connection with transporting exceptional children as defined in 39
Section 37-23-3. The State Board of Education shall establish and 40
implement all necessary rules and regulations to allot 41
transportation payments to university-based programs. In 42
developing density classifications under the provisions hereof, 43
the State Department of Education may give consideration to the 44
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length of the route, the sparsity of the population, the lack of 45
adequate roads, highways and bridges, and the presence of large 46
streams or other geographic obstacles. In addition to funds 47
allotted under the above provisions, funds shall be allotted to 48
each school district that transports students from their assigned 49
school or attendance center to classes in an approved 50
vocational-technical center at a rate per mile not to exceed the 51
average statewide cost per mile of school bus transportation 52
during the preceding year exclusive of bus replacement. All such 53
transportation must have prior approval by the State Department of 54
Education. 55
(2) The net enrollment of transported children shall be 56
reported by the school district in which such children attend 57
school. If children living in a school district are transported 58
at the expense of such school district to another school district, 59
the net enrollment of such transported children shall be deducted 60
by the State Department of Education from the aggregate net 61
enrollment of transported children in the school district in which 62
they attend school and shall be added to the aggregate net 63
enrollment of transported children of the school district from 64
which they come for the purpose of calculating transportation 65
allotments. However, such deduction shall not be made for the 66
purpose of calculating total funding formula funding. 67
(3) The State Department of Education shall include in the 68
allowance for transportation for each school district an amount 69
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for the replacement of school buses or the purchase of new buses, 70
which amount shall be calculated upon the estimated useful life of 71
all school buses being used for the transportation of children in 72
such school district, whether such buses be publicly or privately 73
owned. 74
(4) The school boards of all districts operating school bus 75
transportation are authorized and directed to establish a salary 76
schedule for school bus drivers. No school district shall be 77
entitled to receive the funds herein allotted for transportation 78
unless it pays each of its nonstudent adult school bus drivers 79
paid from such transportation allotments a minimum of One Hundred 80
Ninety Dollars ($190.00) per month. In addition, local school 81
boards may compensate school bus drivers, to include temporary or 82
substitute bus drivers, for actual expenses incurred when 83
acquiring an initial commercial license or any renewal of a 84
commercial license in order to drive a school bus. In addition, 85
local school boards may compensate school bus drivers, to include 86
temporary or substitute bus drivers, for expenses, not to exceed 87
One Hundred Dollars ($100.00), when acquiring an initial medical 88
exam or any renewal of a medical exam, in order to qualify for a 89
commercial driver's license. Each school bus driver shall receive 90
an annual salary supplement in the amount of Five Thousand Dollars 91
($5,000.00). 92
(5) The State Board of Education shall be authorized and 93
empowered to use such part of the funds appropriated for 94
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ST: School bus drivers; provide annual salary
supplement.
transportation as may be necessary to finance driver training 95
courses as provided for in Section 37-41-1. 96
(6) The State Board of Education, acting through the 97
Department of Education, may compensate school bus drivers, to 98
include temporary or substitute bus drivers, who are providing 99
driving services to the various state operated schools, such as 100
the Mississippi School for the Deaf, the Mississippi School for 101
the Blind, the Mississippi School of the Arts, the Mississippi 102
School for Math and Science and any other similar state operated 103
schools, for actual expenses incurred when acquiring an initial 104
commercial license or any renewal of a commercial license in order 105
to drive a school bus, to include the expense, not to exceed One 106
Hundred Dollars ($100.00), of acquiring an initial medical exam or 107
any renewal of a medical exam in order to qualify for a commercial 108
driver's license. 109
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 110
and after July 1, 2026. 111