Most of TX shut out of seat belt money

AUSTIN (KXAN) - After a long struggle to strap students into their school bus seats, parents throughout most of Texas probably will not see the state funding they expected.

An official authorization letter released Friday by the Legislative Budget Board to the Texas Education Agency prioritizes only seven out of 254 counties for the School Bus Seat Belt Program.

This week, KXAN first obtained a preliminary report detailing a Texas Transportation Institute safety study delivered to the LBB in June. The report suggested rules for the LBB to set regarding funding disbursements for the seat belt program.

Before the law went into effect, the state instructed TTI to study the feasibility of the program. The Legislature allocated $10 million last year, which would require lap-shoulder seat belts on all new school buses purchased after Sept. 1 of this year.

The rules suggested by TTI and approved this week by LBB include three main priorities:

1. All “small buses and motorcoaches,” because they are more dangerous and riskier than regular school buses.
2. Counties with the “highest number of serious bus crashes,” specifically Harris, Dallas, Bexar, Tarrant, Hidalgo, Montgomery and Travis.
3. Other counties with high-speed two-lane routes.

The law dates back to a 2006 bus crash that killed two Beaumont high school teens and severely injured several others. Parents who worked with lawmakers to pass this requirement spoke out this week against TEA funding cuts and inter-agency delays to start the program.

On Friday, two days after the law technically went into effect, LBB finally approved the grant program’s measures set forth by TTI and directed TEA to begin dolling out the “$10 million.” Ironically, based on the listed criteria, Beaumont, like most districts in the state, would probably not see that money. Large school districts in those seven counties above would receive the bulk.

Brad Brown, the father of one of the Beaumont teens killed in the 2006 crash, spoke to KXAN on Friday, applauding the LBB’s action to authorize TEA to give out the money.

“It’s been a long ride,” he said. “Now, I feel like it’s almost over.”

Watch KXAN Political Reporter Josh Hinkle's investigative report here .

Brown was among the most vocal over the last few weeks after KXAN aired an investigative report about TEA slashing funds for the program.

Earlier this year, faced with the governor’s requested 5% budget cuts for all state agencies, TEA cut seat belt funding from $10 million to $3.6 million. TEA told KXAN it made that move because it had not yet received authorization to distribute funding for the program from the LBB. It was better to cut something that had not yet started.

Funding was meant to be used as reimbursement to districts buying new buses. It was estimated the $10 million would purchase about 1,300 buses and strap in between 75,000 and 80,000 students.

Check out Josh's Political Blog post about bus crashes in Texas here .

This week, Sen. Eddie Lucio , (D)-Brownsville, demanded the full amount be restored. Lucio credits Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, Gov. Rick Perry and Speaker Joe Strauss for stepping in to make that demand happen.

"I am particularly pleased that the state's leadership again reaffirmed their commitment to the safety of Texas schoolchildren by fully restoring the $10 million allocated for the program despite the proposed budget cuts from the TEA,” Lucio said in a release. “The leadership is sending TEA the message to get $10 million worth of seat belts on school buses and not make their budget cuts at the expense of child safety.”

However, KXAN has learned TEA still plans to maintain the funding amount at $3.6 million. In an effort to work toward Lucio’s goal, an agency spokesperson said, if the demand exceeds the available amount, it will find other sources for funding.

The agency, which just days ago suggested the program be voluntary, said such sources could be unspent grant money from other TEA programs.

“If that was the case, why didn’t they say that from the start?” Brown asked. “The LBB said $10 million, not finding the money elsewhere.”

“And for schools, this law is a mandate, not something that’s voluntary,” he added. “That will be our next challenge, making sure schools comply. We’re not quite done just yet.”

KXAN tracked down one of the 2006 crash survivors. Watch the story here .