Letter to Secretary of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan - Transporting Students Displaced After Sandy

Letter

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today called on the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force to help reimburse local school districts that are seeing greatly increased busing costs for students displace by Superstorm Sandy. By law, school districts must provide bussing to students that have been displaced up to fifty-miles, but the districts are not receiving reimbursements for these significant costs, placing the burden on the children and local tax payers. While the total costs are not yet clear, at least a dozen Long Island school districts have spent tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars each to provide additional services to the approximately 1,000 students displaced by the storm. Schumer today called on the Task Force to find a way to reimburse school districts, like Lindenhurst and Long Beach, that are administering special transportation services to displaced students.

"It's important for students to get back to their schools, teachers and friends as soon as possible after a major disruption like Sandy, but local school districts shouldn't be left responsible for the costs of a national disaster," said Schumer. "Congress passed legislation to reduce the impact of Sandy on local governments, and it makes perfect sense for some of the relief dollars to go to school districts to help them transport students affected by the storm. Otherwise the cost, which may be in the multi-millions, will be borne entirely by local taxpayers, and could impact the education of every child in the affected districts."

After Superstorm Sandy, over 1,000 students were displaced and in need of transportation services to pick them up and drop them off at school. Schools districts on Long Island have spent over $1 million on these post-Sandy services, and the final cost may be much higher.

The School District's obligation comes from the McKinney Vento Assistance Act, which says that school districts must provide transportation to displaced or homeless students within a fifty-mile radius of the school district.

Schumer today called on the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force to work with school districts impacted by Superstorm Sandy to identify methods for rapid reimbursements to help alleviate the extra cost of transportation services for displaced students. Schumer explained that these added costs have created an enormous financial burden for local school districts that are now paying thousands of dollars a month. Schumer noted that if districts are not reimbursed, the burden will fall on local taxpayers who may or may not have been impacted by Superstorm Sandy.

Specifically, the costs known so far break down as follows:

*The Lindenhurst School District had more than 160 displaced students immediately following the storm. The district has spent $200,000 to date on transportation services for these students.
*The Long Beach School District has spent approximately $75,000 per month for the over 150 students displaced by the storm and although the number of displaced students has decreased since the storm, the district is still spending approximately $20,000 per month as of today. The School District has spent $170,000 to date.
The Island Park School District has spent $120,000 to date and is currently spending $30,000 per month for fifty displaced students.
*The Freeport School District has spent $210,000 to date on transportation services for the 250 displaced students and is now spending $15,000 per month.
*The Baldwin School District has spent $200,000 on transportation services to date for the 230 students immediately displaced by the storm and still has approximately 150 displaced students.
*The Seaford School District has spent $130,000 to date and they are currently spending $26,000 per month for the fifty displaced students.
*The Copiague School District has spent $220,000 to date for 281 displaced students and they are currently spending $20,000 per month for the 64 displaced students.
*The East Rockaway School District has spent over $71,000 and is currently transporting 485 displaced students.
*The Oceanside School District had 766 displaced students immediately after the storm and now has 201 displaced students. The anticipated costs incurred by the district for transportation services projected through June 30, 2013 is $45,265.
*Other impacted school districts include Lawrence, Amityville and Massapequa. The costs to those districts are not yet available.

A copy of Schumer's letter can be found below:

The Honorable Shaun Donovan
Secretary
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
451 Seventh Street, SW
Washington, DC 20410

Dear Secretary Donovan:

I write to you today in your capacity as chair of the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force to alert you to a rising concern among school districts in New York that have been impacted by Superstorm Sandy and by law are required to provide transportation to displaced students within a fifty-mile radius of their school district. Given the enormous impact of Superstorm Sandy, this critical assistance is becoming a financial burden for local school districts at an already difficult time. While I understand that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has indicated that they will be unable to reimburse school districts for this expense, I ask that you work with my staff to identify assistance opportunities for school districts to help fund this service.

It is absolutely imperative that students who are displaced by Superstorm Sandy receive transportation to school. Congress included this longstanding provision in the McKinney-Vento Act in order to promote school continuity. Our schools are following the law and ensuring that all impact students are able to attend their school or origin. However, storm-impacted schools districts are experiencing enormous financial burdens in order to transport the large number of displaced students. It is my understanding that this issue affects numerous school districts in New York. For instance, immediately following the storm the Lindenhurst School District had more than 160 displaced students that required transportation. The district spent an additional $80,000 a month to assist these students. On Long Island, over a thousand students were displaced due to Superstorm Sandy which has cost Long Island school districts over $1 million. Not only is this an enormous financial burden for the school district to bear, it is depleting the school district of their budgeted allotment intended to assist homeless students. If districts are not reimbursed, the burden will ultimately fall on the taxpayer who may or may not have been impacted by Superstorm Sandy.

My colleagues in Congress and I worked hard to pass a Sandy relief package last January that was flexible in nature in order to address rising concerns such as this one. I ask that you work with my office to find a way to assist school districts that are administering a critical service to displaced students through the many programmatic funding opportunities available from this legislation. It is critical that we find a way to provide relief to school districts that are still trying to recover from Superstorm Sandy's wrath.

Thank you for consideration of this request. Feel free to contact members of my staff at your convenience if you have any additional questions.

Sincerely,

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer

Source