ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6260
State of Washington
69th Legislature
2026 Regular Session
By Senate Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senators Wellman and C. Wilson; by request of Office of Financial Management)
READ FIRST TIME 03/02/26.
AN ACT Relating to efficiencies and programming changes in public education; amending RCW 28A.160.200 , 28A.600.402 , and 28A.300.072 ; and declaring an emergency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1. RCW 28A.160.200 and 1995 1st sp.s. c 10 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) The superintendent shall develop a reimbursement schedule to pay districts for the cost of student transportation vehicles purchased after September 1, 1982. While it is the responsibility of each district to select and pay for each student transportation vehicle purchased by the district, each district shall be paid a sum based on the category of vehicle, anticipated lifetime of vehicles of this category, and state reimbursement rate for the category plus inflation as recognized by the reimbursement schedule established in this section as set by the superintendent. Categories and reimbursement rates of vehicles shall be those established under RCW 28A.160.195 . The accumulated value of the payments and the potential investment return thereon shall be designed to be equal to the replacement cost of the vehicle less its salvage value at the end of its anticipated lifetime. Beginning with buses that are scheduled for depreciation payments as of September 2025 and those qualifying for payments after that date, the superintendent shall use a minimum anticipated lifetime of 120 months for category A buses and 180 months for category C and D buses. The superintendent shall revise at least annually the reimbursement payments based on the current and anticipated future cost of comparable categories of transportation equipment. Reimbursements to school districts for approved transportation equipment shall be placed in a separate transportation vehicle fund established for each school district under RCW 28A.160.130 . However, educational service districts providing student transportation services pursuant to RCW 28A.310.180 (4) and receiving moneys generated pursuant to this section shall establish and maintain a separate transportation vehicle account in the educational service district's general expense fund for the purposes and subject to the conditions under RCW 28A.160.130 and 28A.320.300 .