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Board presses staff on parent transportation reimbursement cap and outreach; staff to follow up
Summary
During the June 17 agenda review, board members questioned staff about item 8.04 (parent transportation reimbursement), asking how parents are notified, whether it overlaps with connect cards for families outside 1.5 miles and why the not-to-exceed figure is $125,000 when prior-year actuals cited in Q&A were 190 with 760 additional pending; staff pledged to consult Director Patton and follow up.
Board members pressed district staff on item 8.04, a parent transportation reimbursement program, during the Pittsburgh Public Schools agenda review on June 17.
A board member asked how eligible parents are made aware of the reimbursement program and whether there is an overlap with recent proposals to issue connect cards to parents of early childhood students who live outside a 1.5-mile radius. "We're sending out mailers to the eligible parents," Mike McNamara, the district's chief operations officer, said. "From the transportation department."
McNamara said special education has a separate process. "Those are IEP discussions, so this is not the same as special education," a staff speaker noted, and McNamara added he would get additional information about student selection and the interplay with connect cards.
A separate board member raised a budget question about the item'asking why the not-to-exceed limit is set at $125,000 when the 2025''6 actuals reported in the advance Q&A were 190 with an additional 760 pending. Director Silk said the discrepancy appeared significant and asked staff to follow up. A staff member and McNamara said they would consult Director Patton and report back; staff suggested the higher budgeted figure may provide room if more parents participate in the program.
The record shows staff did not provide a detailed breakdown of how the 190 and 760 figures were calculated during the meeting; they instead committed to supplying additional information to board members. No formal vote on changing the reimbursement limit was taken at the agenda review session.
Board members also asked clarifying questions about which transportation tabs in BoardDocs apply to special education, school-age transportation and early childhood connect cards; staff said there are separate tabs and would provide follow-up clarification.
