Creates a new law by adding a section to chapter 28A.160 RCW that establishes "transportation safety net awards" to help school districts, charter schools under chapter 28A.710 RCW, and state-tribal education compact schools under chapter 28A.715 RCW cover additional transportation costs for "special passengers"—defined as homeless students eligible under the McKinney-Vento Act and foster students eligible under the Every Student Succeeds Act. Awards are available only when a district's allowable transportation expenditures for serving those students exceed (a) the amount provided under RCW 28A.160.180 and (b) any excess costs reimbursed by federal, state, tribal, or local child welfare agencies, and no award may exceed the district's excess expenditures directly attributable to serving special passengers. The awards are explicitly excluded from the state's program of basic education. The bill creates administrative and procedural rules: districts must report excess costs and the specific activities or services that produced those costs in accordance with statewide accounting guidance; the Superintendent of Public Instruction must adopt rules and processes for applications and awards and must submit the total demonstrated need and awards by district to the Office of Financial Management and the education and fiscal committees of the legislature; the omnibus appropriations act must specify the total amount available and awards may not exceed that appropriation. Award periods differ by grade grouping (through the end of the first semester/trimester for grades other than 5th, 8th, and 12th; through the end of the first school year for grades 5th, 8th, and 12th), and after an award period a student may be required, unless prohibited by law, to arrange their own transportation to attend the school that requested the award. Uncertain or missing details in the provided text include the statutory content or numerical baseline of RCW 28A.160.180, the precise meaning of "allowable transportation expenditures," the statewide accounting guidance referenced, the criteria and process for districts to "convincingly demonstrate need," any deadlines for the Superintendent's reporting to OFM and the legislative committees, and the total appropriation amount (which is to be set in the omnibus appropriations act).

If enacted, the bill would let school districts, charter schools, and state-tribal compact schools apply for one-time transportation safety net awards to cover extra costs of transporting homeless and foster students when those costs exceed the normal transportation funding level and any reimbursements from child welfare agencies. Awards would only pay up to the actual excess costs directly tied to serving those students, follow grade-based award period rules (shorter for most grades, full year for grades 5, 8, and 12), and could require students to arrange their own transportation after the award period unless another law prevents that. The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction would set application rules, require districts to report excess costs and the services that caused them under statewide accounting guidance, and would report total demonstrated need and awards to OFM and legislative fiscal committees. Practically, districts that routinely shoulder extra costs for homeless and foster students could get partial reimbursement, but only if the legislature puts money into the omnibus appropriations act and awards do not exceed that appropriation. Districts take on new reporting and application duties, and their reimbursement is uncertain if the appropriation is limited. Important details that affect how much help districts actually receive are missing here: the baseline funding level referenced, the statewide accounting guidance, the specific application criteria for “demonstrated need,” and any deadlines for submissions or reporting.