New Division Name, Same Mission
The division formerly known as Systems and Supports, K12 implements federal and local supports for LEAs and schools to advance educational equity, such as Title I grants and state-level oversight and supports related to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). To better align the division’s name with the unique and critical role it plays within OSSE’s larger portfolio of elementary and secondary school supports, the division changed its name to the division of Strategic Funding for School Quality (FSQ).
Expansion of the OSSE-DOT Parent Stipend Program
OSSE’s Division of Student Transportation (OSSE-DOT) provides safe, reliable transportation daily for nearly 4,000 eligible DC students with disabilities. As part of that work, OSSE-DOT developed the Parent Stipend Program as one of the most cost-efficient methods to address OSSE’s growing student ridership and staffing challenges. The program offers $400 a month to eligible families who self-transport their students to school as a cost-efficient way to reduce student ridership demand during the nationwide bus driver shortage. OSSE-DOT has significantly expanded the volume of program participants in the Parent Stipend Program. By June 2024, 165 families received parent stipend payments and as of Dec. 31, 2024, the program had served 356 families. The program has enabled guardians to transport their students at one-tenth the cost per student of OSSE-DOT’s traditional yellow bus services, which has reduced the demand for services of our existing fleet.
Parent Communication in More Languages
The OSSE-DOT Parent Resource Center (PRC) uses text notifications to inform parents and schools about any changes or delays in a student’s transportation status.
In 2024, our Chief Information 乌鸦传媒 built the capacity to send parent notifications in the language of the parent’s choice at the time they enrolled in their LEA. That expanded the text message languages from six to 16. Since Oct. 1, we have sent more than 110,000 messages, ensuring that important information regarding a student’s transportation status is accessible to all families.*
*number as of March 1
