District reports $162.9M in hurricane recovery spending and outlines bus fleet transition

District staff reported on hurricane response and recovery finances and on transportation operations at the May 13 meeting.

On disaster finances staff said that, as of April 30, 2026, the district had expended approximately $162,898,000 on hurricane response and recovery. Staff said the district received $1,963,000 in April (bringing an aggregate reimbursement figure cited in the presentation to $72,633,000), and that $22,633,000 of received funds had been repaid to Hancock Whitney as repayment of an LCDA loan; staff also cited FEMA‑obligated submissions totaling roughly $87,738,568. The figures were presented as part of a larger update; staff did not provide a detailed line‑by‑line reconciliation during the verbal report and documentation was left as the primary source for exact accounting figures.

On transportation, staff said the department will host a CDL/driver training course June 11 and is winding down the school year. The new bus facility is occupied and staff said older buses will be decommissioned as new buses arrive in the fall; there will be a two‑month overlap with two providers while equipment is transferred, and the district expects a phased rollout (about 50% new fleet operation by November and a full new fleet service in January). The MyRide parent app recently went live with about 1,000 registered users so far; staff said they plan a larger outreach push before the start of the school year to increase registrations.

Board members asked operational questions about disposition of old buses and timeline for equipment removal; staff said details are being finalized and that some buses will remain in the fleet until the transition completes. The report was received for the record.