Wake parents owed thousands in transportation stipends, WCPSS working 'backlog' of reimbursements

Some Wake County parents may be owed hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of dollars from the Wake County Public Schools System, as the school district confirms it's working through a backlog of transportation stipend reimbursements. 

"[WCPSS] recognizes that some families participating in the parent transportation stipend program have experienced delays in receiving reimbursements this school year, and we understand the frustration this has caused," a spokesperson for the district said. 

The program accommodates a $25-per-day reimbursement for student families who are currently assigned a seat on contracted vendor transportation. This stipend is not for any other students, including those who are assigned a yellow bus, according to previous reporting by WRAL. The monthly amount is capped at $500 per month, as well as one reimbursement per day, regardless of how many times a student is transported to and from their respective school. 

Kaitlyne Hall, a Wendell mother, reached out to WRAL, frustrated over the roughly $2,000 she estimates is owed back to her from the school district. 

"We [parents] are the ones calling you [schools]. You're not calling us telling why we're not receiving anything," Hall said. 

Three main factors have contributed to the current backlog, officials say, including staffing vacancies, process inefficiencies and the program's growth.

"Each monthly submission must be reviewed to confirm student attendance, valid insurance coverage, driver documentation, and other required information before payments can be approved and issued," officials said. 

 WRAL found dozens of other parents in the county, who acknowledged they're owed hundreds and in more cases thousands of dollars in reimbursements through the program. Some parents note the inconsistency of the reimbursements, with some not having received what they're owed for the second semester. In other cases, parents have not been reimbursed for the entire academic year. 

"You're supposed to trust your county to say, 'This is the program, this is what you're eligible for and getting in return.' But you're not getting it in return. Gas is insane, $2,200 would go a long way," Hall said. 

Each month, families are required to submit the following as part of the stipend program:

• Daily stipend log and parent reimbursement form
• Daily stipend log
• Student attendance record (contact your school's data manager to obtain)
• Proof of active automobile insurance (Declaration page with valid dates or copy of insurance card)
• Copy of a valid North Carolina driver's license

When asked, WCPSS could not give an exact number for the number of outstanding stipend submissions that have been processed versus those that are outstanding. There are currently 786 students approved for the stipend program, and more than 5,200 stipend submissions have been submitted.

"The district recognizes this issue requires work on two fronts: improving the stipend reimbursement process to reduce delays for families currently participating in the program, while also continuing efforts to provide direct transportation services for students whenever possible so fewer families need to rely on stipends in the future," a spokesperson said. 

According to WCPSS's transportation agreement, the school district is supposed to pay the stipends within 30 calendar days of the submitted invoices. 

"It's quite annoying, especially because gas is so expensive and her main school is not the closest to us," Brooke Santos said, a Raleigh mother who's been submitting stipend logs since September. 

She, like Hall, has yet to receive a reimbursement for the entire school year. 

Officials who acknowledged the backlog say the district is exploring automating portions of attendance verification to reduce paperwork requirements. 

No exact timeline has been given for when the backlog will be wiped.