CMSD sets aside more than $1 million to reimburse families for transportation costsThe board passed a resolution deeming it “ impractical” for the district to provide transportation for about 1,700 Cleveland students who don’t attend district public schools. Families of the students, who attend charter, parochial or other specialty schools, will be offered a $600 reimbursement for transportation costs.State law requires districts to transport younger students, regardless of whether they attend public schools. In some cases, the district outsources the transportation to private companies. The district set aside $1.1 million to reimburse parents and caregivers who the district decided live too far from their school, attend a school where too few students are transported, or where transportation costs would be too high. New ‘Get More Opportunities’ process rolling out Students, parents and staff will be able to apply for $4 million in Get More Opportunity Funds to spend on projects in their schools. The fund, seeded with a $20 million donation from billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, was the subject of friction earlier this year when the district moved to claw back more than $16 million to cover a budget hole. The process originally was designed for students and teachers to pitch ideas for projects, with decisions being made by a student-led panel. Cleveland schools CEO Warren Morgan said that only a handful of schools had benefited from the process, with one school getting 22 grants and others getting none.Now, money will be divided based on student enrollment. School principals – with support from a “local review panel” that includes students – will decide how the money is spent. District officials said the new process should help ensure the money is distributed equitably and goes toward quality projects and improvements. Power for parents Parents and caregivers will soon have access to a new online platform that will give them access to student grades and attendance, officials said. They’ll also be able to communicate with teachers about student progress through emails and chat. The platform is also supposed to help families update student forms that are currently on paper and help them get other important messages from the district. Read the notes from Documenter Stacie SimonCleveland Metropolitan School District – Board Business Meeting 08_20_2024DownloadThe post CMSD will reimburse some families $600 to transport kids who don’t attend district schools appeared first on Signal Cleveland.