Part 10.8. Schoolbus Emissions Reduction Funds of California Education Code >> Division 1. >> Title 1. >> Part 10.8.

Any school district or county office of education may establish and administer a schoolbus emissions reduction fund to receive revenue from public and private sources for the purpose of purchasing low- or zero-emission schoolbuses to replace, or increase the number of, schoolbuses in the existing school district or county fleet or retrofitting existing schoolbuses to achieve reductions in emissions.

A school district or county office of education that establishes a schoolbus emissions reduction fund may receive revenues from air pollution control district and air quality management district grants, revenues from a city that are granted pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 44243 of the Health and Safety Code, or from any other source. The school district or county office of education shall contribute a majority of the money deposited in its schoolbus emissions reduction fund.

State funds may, upon appropriation by the Legislature, be distributed to the Superintendent of Public Instruction for distribution to districts and county offices of education for the purchase of low- or zero-emission schoolbuses that replace, or increase the number of, schoolbuses in the existing schoolbus fleet or for retrofitting existing schoolbuses to achieve reductions in emissions. State funds that are provided pursuant to this part shall not exceed the amount of funds provided from other sources.

A school district or county office of education may enter into contracts, including multiple year contracts, with private sector individuals, businesses, and other entities for the purpose of receiving revenues to supplement its schoolbus emissions reduction fund in exchange for the issuance to the private sector contributor of emission reduction credits resulting from the purchase by the school district or county office of education of low- or zero-emission schoolbuses or the retrofit of existing schoolbuses. If there are multiple private sector contributors, each of those contributors shall receive a share of the credits allocated in proportion to their contribution, as specified by the school district or county office of education at the time that the parties enter into the agreement.

The Chairperson of the State Air Resources Board and the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall jointly develop guidelines for school district or county office of education use that describe all of the following:
  (a) The manner in which school districts or county offices of education may obtain funding from private and public entities for deposit into a school district or county office of education schoolbus emissions reduction fund.
  (b) The methods for determining the quantity and allocation of emission reduction credits generated from a new bus that replaces an existing bus or from a new or retrofitted bus that represents an expansion of fleet capacity.
  (c) The methods by which school districts or county offices of education located in the South Coast Air Quality Management District may obtain funds from cities pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 44243 of the Health and Safety Code.

Prior to distributing any state funds pursuant to this part, the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall consult with the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to avoid duplication or overlap with appropriations from the Katz Schoolbus Fund, created pursuant to Section 17911.

Any schoolbus replaced pursuant to this part that meets the federal safety standards established in 1977 shall be offered for sale to school districts to replace schoolbuses that do not meet the federal safety standards, at a purchase price not to exceed the amount of the school district or county office of education's contribution specified in Section 17921, plus appropriate administrative costs. This section shall not apply if the school district or county office of education certifies a continued need for the schoolbus being replaced.