Community presses McKeesport Area School District after DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation ends partnership

McKeesport Area School District officials faced a packed public gallery on June 4 after the DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation notified the district it would end its partnership effective June 6, a move residents say will cut off wraparound services for vulnerable students.

At the special meeting, community members described DICK'S-funded programs at Twin Rivers and other schools as providers of food, clothing, showers and social supports. "You are cutting off basic needs from kids," said seventh‑grader Zeta Carr, urging the board to restore services.

Board members and district officials said the foundation informed them in late May that it was pausing and then ending the partnership. A board member recounted a May meeting where the foundation "laid out what they laid out, and then we left the meeting," and said the foundation told the district it was shifting toward grantmaking rather than large public–private partnerships.

The board emphasized it had pursued additional outreach to the foundation, including messages through general counsel and special counsel, and reported that as of the meeting an offer to meet had been declined. The board president said all correspondence with the foundation will include board leadership and legal staff and that the district remains "open to working with them." "There is no rush to move forward," the president said, urging a focus on students and compliance with bidding and approval processes.

Speakers at the meeting urged the board to prioritize preserving staff and programs. District officials said they were working to keep employees funded through the partnership in district positions where possible and to find interim community supports; the board said retaining staff and minimizing service gaps was a top priority as it explores options.

The board also acknowledged public confusion over a district letter that drew criticism on social media; several board members said they did not all agree on the letter's content and that some names were only CC'd, a point that residents said heightened distrust. State representative Dan Govenheim was singled out during the meeting as one official who had reached out to help.

The meeting did not produce a formal agreement with the foundation. Board members said they will continue to pursue a meeting with DICK'S counsel and to seek legal and administrative options to preserve key services while ensuring the district follows procurement and oversight rules. The record shows the board has instructed special counsel to seek contact with the foundation but that, as of the meeting, the foundation had declined to attend.

The board proceeded to other agenda items after the discussion; community members left the meeting urging faster action to avoid disruptions to students who rely on the programs.