Current:Home > NewsPhiladelphia school district offering to pay parents $3,000 a year to take kids to school -Quantum Capital Pro
Philadelphia school district offering to pay parents $3,000 a year to take kids to school
View
Date:2025-04-16 00:45:22
A Philadelphia school district is offering to pay families $300 a month if they drive their children to and from school as part of a program aimed at addressing a bus driver shortage.
Under the Parent Flat Rate Transportation Program at the School District of Philadelphia, eligible parents who opt out of district bus, van or cab assignments and instead drive their children to and from school will get $300 a month, or $3,000 for the school year. The offer, which began in 2020 as a pilot program, is rolling out in full for the first time this school year, which is set to begin next week.
Families who only drive their child to school in the morning but use district transportation in the afternoon will get $150 a month, or $1,500 for the school year. Parents will not get paid for each child they drive to school, and will receive one monthly check per household.
The school district currently has 210 bus drivers, with 105 openings still available, according to WTXF-TV. Full-time bus drivers with the district can make nearly $45,000 a year, with part-time drivers able to make more than $23,000.
The school district is actively hiring for full-time and part-time bus drivers, bus attendants and van chauffeurs, according to its hiring website.
2023 teacher shortages:What to know about vacancies in your region.
Eligibility
Eligibility for the program varies by school and student, according to the district. If the student is eligible for district-provided transportation, then they are considered eligible for the program. Here's what else factors into eligibility:
- The student must be a resident of the city of Philadelphia
- Students must generally live 1.5 miles or farther from their school
- Busing services are generally provided to students in first through fifth grades, so the student's grade level may matter
- Designated schools have eligible students whose route to school is determined to be hazardous by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
- A student who has an individualized education plan specific to transportation
- If their school receives district-provided busing services
Families who use the school selection option are generally not eligible for busing services, according to the school district.
Study:More than 90 percent of teachers spend out of pocket for back-to-school supplies
veryGood! (65419)
Related
- Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
- White House upholds trade ban on Apple Watches after accusations of patent infringement
- Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's Romance Gets the Ultimate Stamp of Approval From His Chiefs Family
- An avalanche killed 2 skiers on Mont Blanc. A hiker in the French Alps also died in a fall
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Venezuela will hold military exercises off its shores as a British warship heads to Guyana
- Nevada drivers can now add a symbol identifying certain medical conditions on their driver license
- 'I wished it had been me': Husband weeps after wife falls 70 feet off New York cliff
- Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
- Storm Gerrit damages houses and leaves thousands without power as it batters the northern UK
Ranking
- Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
- These struggling stocks could have a comeback in 2024
- The University of Wisconsin fired Chancellor Joe Gow. He says it's for making porn videos with his wife.
- China appoints a new defense minister after months of uncertainty following sacking of predecessor
- 2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
- Navalny confirms he's in Arctic penal colony and says he's fine
- Stock market today: Stocks drift on the final trading day of a surprisingly good year on Wall Street
- How rock-bottom prices drive shortages of generic drugs used in hospitals
Recommendation
Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
15-year-old surfer dies in South Australia state’s third fatal shark attack since May
AMC Theatres apologizes for kicking out a civil rights leader for using his own chair
Meadow Walker Announces Separation From Husband Louis Thornton-Allan After 2 Years of Marriage
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
Grace Bowers is the teenage guitar phenom who plays dive bars at night
Boeing asks airlines to inspect 737 Max jets for potential loose bolt
That's So Raven's Anneliese van der Pol Engaged to Johnno Wilson