City Controller Releases Special Report On Pittsburgh Public Schools Device Distribution Plan
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Pittsburgh City Controller Michael Lamb released a special report on the Pittsburgh Public Schools' remote learning and device distribution plan for this school year.
Pittsburgh Public Schools were closed in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic while still providing all students with education via remote and virtual learning.
The district ordered more than 23,000 devices, enough for each student and teacher.
However, as of October, the district is still waiting on 6,000 of those devices, which were set to arrive this month.
Controller Lamb's audit found the district paid more than $10.7 million for the devices and has only been reimbursed $1.7 million through CARES Act funding.
"This crisis is putting local school districts in a tough spot when it comes to balancing their budgets", said Lamb. "Making sure the state follows through with reimbursements for the district's purchases is imperative to avoid painful budget cuts that could hurt students' ability to get a quality education."
The full report from the city controller can be found on the city website.