A special commission tasked with studying student transportation needs and costs in Rhode Island will hold a meeting Wednesday to discuss the statewide transportation system.
The meeting of the Special Joint Legislative Commission to Study Student Transportation Needs and System Costs is scheduled for 3:45 p.m. in Room 135 on the first floor of the State House.
The commission will elect a co-chairperson and receive an overview of the statewide transportation system from Rhode Island Department of Education Chief Operations Officer Dr. Mario Carreño.
Formed through a joint resolution introduced by Sen. Linda Ujifusa (D-Dist. 11, Portsmouth, Bristol) and Rep. Terri Cortvriend (D-Dist. 72, Portsmouth, Middletown), the commission is responsible for analyzing the transportation needs of students, identifying the most cost-effective ways to address those needs, and recommending any necessary changes to state laws governing the statewide transportation program.
The commission’s 13 members include representatives from both the House and Senate, as well as key stakeholders from education, transportation, and government.
According to state law, local school districts are required to bear the costs of transporting students outside their districts who have special needs that cannot be met locally or attend private, parochial, charter, or career and technical schools within their assigned transportation region. Districts must utilize the statewide transportation service administered by RIDE or seek a variance from RIDE to use their own buses, for which they receive no reimbursement.
The meeting will be televised live on Capitol Television and livestreamed on the Rhode Island Legislature’s website.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) assisted a What’sUpNewp journalist with the reporting included in this story.
