BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Baltimore City Public Schools is offering to pay several hundred parents to transport their own children to school this month.
The payment for September would be a $250 stipend, according to a reimbursement form obtained by WBFF News in Baltimore.
A spokesperson for Baltimore City Schools says the families of 771 students received the offer.
Tyreis Brown-Bond, the mother of a first-grade student, says she was offered the transportation stipend this week.
In my case, I would have to use rideshare -- Lyft, Uber -- because I do not drive," she said.
Brown-Bond indicated public transportation is not feasible for her situation.
The reimbursement form provided to parents says students must have a 95% attendance rate to qualify for the payment.
The district says it is possible the transportation stipends could extend beyond September.
The district says funding for this program comes from a "yearly parent reimbursement budget" and any additional money would come out of the contractor payment budget.
This offer to pay parents for transportation comes during a statewide shortage of school bus drivers.
On Monday, about 30 Baltimore bus drivers called out of work on the first day of school.