Parents and school leaders urge preserving $6M DC School Connect; DFHV says program funded at current scale, faces waitlist

Parents, principals and nonprofit leaders told the Committee on Public Works and Operations on June 13 that DC School Connect — a Department of For Hire Vehicles (DFHV) pilot that provides school‑specific shared rides for students — should be preserved and expanded. DFHV Director Jonathan Rogers said the mayor’s FY26 budget funds the program at its current scale but does not include expansion.

"We are incredibly grateful to the mayor for maintaining the $6,000,000 for this program in the FY26 budget and we urge the members of this committee and the council to protect this funding," said Carrie Savage, chief of policy at PAVE, noting strong endorsements from parents and school leaders. Dozens of public witnesses — including principals, charter school leaders and parent advocates from Wards 7 and 8 — described assaults, threats and chronic safety concerns on public transit and said School Connect reduces student exposure to those harms.

Why this matters: Witnesses linked safe, reliable transportation to improved attendance, reduced truancy and better classroom readiness — outcomes that stakeholders and some city officials tied to long‑term safety and educational performance in neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River.

Public testimony and examples

Multiple witnesses provided first‑person accounts. Tara Brown,…