20-10-145. State transportation reimbursement. (1) A district providing school bus transportation or individual transportation in accordance with this title, board of public education transportation policy, and superintendent of public instruction transportation rules must receive a state reimbursement of its transportation expenditures under the transportation reimbursement rate provisions of 20-10-141 and 20-10-142. The state transportation reimbursement is one-half of the reimbursement amounts established in 20-10-141 and 20-10-142 or one-half of the district's transportation fund budget, whichever is smaller, and must be computed on the basis of the number of days the transportation services were actually rendered to transport eligible transportees, as defined in 20-10-101, to or from school to participate in the minimum aggregate hours of instruction required pursuant to 20-1-301. In determining the amount of the state transportation reimbursement, an amount claimed by a district may not be considered for reimbursement unless the amount has been paid in the regular manner provided for the payment of other financial obligations of the district.

(2) Requests for the state transportation reimbursement must be made by each district semiannually during the school fiscal year on the claim forms and procedure promulgated by the superintendent of public instruction. The claims for state transportation reimbursements must be routed by the district to the county superintendent, who after reviewing the claims shall send them to the superintendent of public instruction. The superintendent of public instruction shall establish the validity and accuracy of the claims for the state transportation reimbursements by determining compliance with this title, board of public education transportation policy, and the transportation rules of the superintendent of public instruction. After making any necessary adjustments to the claims, the superintendent of public instruction shall order a disbursement from the state money appropriated by the legislature of the state of Montana for the state transportation reimbursement.

(3) The superintendent of public instruction shall make the disbursement to each school district according to the following schedule:

(a) By September 1 of each year, the superintendent of public instruction shall make a payment equal to 50% of the state transportation reimbursement paid to the district in the previous school year.

(b) By March 31 of each year, the superintendent of public instruction shall make a payment to the district equal to the approved amount of state reimbursement for first semester transportation claims less the amount distributed to the district under subsection (3)(a).

(c) By June 30 of each year, the superintendent of public instruction shall make a payment to the district to pay the balance of the approved amount due to the district for first and second semester transportation.

(4) Unless authorized for payment to a school district investment account established under 20-9-235, the payment of all the district's claims within one county must be made to the county treasurer of the county, and the county superintendent shall apportion the payment in accordance with the apportionment order supplied by the superintendent of public instruction.

(5) After adopting a budget amendment for the transportation fund in accordance with 20-9-161 through 20-9-166, the district shall send to the superintendent of public instruction a copy of each new or amended individual transportation contract and each new or amended bus route form to which the budget amendment applies. State reimbursement for the additional obligations must be paid as provided in subsection (1).