Section 15.1-27-31.1 - State transportation payments to school districts1. Subject to legislative appropriation, the superintendent of public instruction shall determine the total amount of payments to be made to the school districts for the transportation of students and shall pay the amount certified to each school district. Payments must be made in the same manner and at the time provided for other state payments in section 15.1-27-01. The superintendent of public instruction may not distribute more than one-half of the amount appropriated for transportation grants for any biennium in the first year of the biennium. If total transportation reimbursement claims exceed the amount appropriated by the legislative assembly, the superintendent of public instruction shall reduce transportation reimbursements on a prorated basis for all school districts requesting reimbursements.2. A school district may not receive more than ninety percent of the actual costs incurred for the transportation of students.3. For purposes of this section, actual costs include the transportation operating expenditures reported to the superintendent of public instruction for the most recent year plus the eight-year average cost of transportation equipment determined by the superintendent of public instruction. Any district having contracted for transportation services may determine the actual costs for the first year the district provides its own transportation services by using the statewide average cost of transportation during the first year.Added by S.L. 2021 , ch. 162( HB 1027 ), § 5, eff. 8/1/2021.