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Welcome to the California Association of School Transportation Officials "CASTO" webpage. Here you will be able to sign up, renew, or update your membership, register for upcoming events and receive important information in regards to California's School Pupil Transportation Industry. Upcoming events
Industry NewsTragic News involving two CASTO members...
| Presidents Message
Why Should You Be a CASTO Member?This document will aid you with answering the question..."Why should I be a CASTO Member?" Looking for a career change? Check out our Job Announcements page CASTO's Official AddressCASTO PO Box 348120 Sacramento, CA 95834 CASTO 2023 Safety Poster Contest Winner![]() Jaiden Sandoval Legislative ReportTo: CASTO State Board of Directors From: David Neben Memo: State Legislative and Budget Update Dear President Thomas and CASTO Board of Directors, The following memorandum contains informational updates on legislation and budget activities at the state Legislature. Please do not hesitate to contact myself or my staff with questions or concerns related to the material. Thank you, David Neben BUDGET UPDATE The Governor has published his 2023 Budget proposal. As of this quarter’s meeting of the State Board of Directors, we are still awaiting the publication of trailer bill language details to accompany the fiscal appropriations details. Overall State of the Economy The Governor’s Budget assumes the state is facing a significant decline in revenue growth over the next couple of fiscal years, beginning with the current year 2022-23. While this is not necessarily a recession, it means that some financial commitments from prior years will have to be either reduced or delayed in order to continue funding statutory ongoing programs like the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). Electric School Bus Replacement In discussions with senior staff from the Department of Finance, it was determined that the program to provide $1.5 billion for electric school bus replacement would remain uncut. Approximately $300 million in grant funding will still be available each year during the five-year allocation period. Home-to-School Transportation The 2022 Budget Act approved an increase in HTST funding up to 60% of a local educational agency’s costs of providing HTST services, according to SACS code function 3600. This equates to more than $600 million in additional ongoing funding for school transportation, and a total of $1.1 billion overall. The Department of Finance staff has indicated that this program will also remain untouched in determining where to find financial relief for the state budget. LEGISLATION The Legislature convened the 2023-24 legislative session on January 4, 2022, introducing a total of 40 new elected officials to the Assembly and Senate. The deadline for all legislators to introduce legislation for the first year of the session is February 17, 2023. SB 88 (Skinner) – Pupil Transportation: School Pupil Activity Bus: Drivers Senator Nancy Skinner has introduced SB 88. While the bill is still in “spot-bill” form and only contains legislative intent language, the general idea of the bill presents potential issues for school bus drivers and alleviating the current staffing crisis. Action: We recommend CASTO maintain a neutral position on this bill until additional amendments have been published. |