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McKeesport board to pilot CLEAR residency checks after concern over charter funding
Summary
Board discussed adopting the Thomson Reuters CLEAR residency-verification program to confirm charter students’ addresses after concerns that nonresident students may be costing the district about $12,000 per pupil; district may cancel the service by June 30 if it proves ineffective.
The McKeesport Area School District board discussed a plan to pilot the CLEAR residency-verification program (Thomson Reuters) to confirm where charter students live after officials raised concerns that some students listed as district residents actually live outside district boundaries.
A district representative said instances of nonresident charter students can shift funding away from McKeesport programs and estimated the cost at about $12,000 per child. The board discussed that an external verification service could identify discrepancies and, according to presenters, could pay for itself if it discloses misreported residency.
Officials described CLEAR as an option the district can cancel by June 30 if it does not produce the expected verification results. Board members supported pursuing the verification tool while acknowledging the need to protect families’ privacy and to follow legal requirements for student records.
At the same time, the business report noted the district is pursuing two security-related grants (PCCD) to fund additional safety measures and will issue an RFP for food service per Pennsylvania Department of Education requirements.
District staff said they are coordinating these operational changes alongside an ongoing PowerSchool conversion of finance and HR systems to be completed in time for a July 1 implementation next year.
