There are a lot of questions about why a partnership between the McKeesport Area School District and the Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation suddenly ended.

"They probably found a school with a better reputation or something," middle school student Emma Cantu said. 

Some of the investments into the district from the Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation included a weight room at the high school, playground upgrades, a community resource center and learning initiatives. 

"It made me feel happy because it showed that low-funded schools like McKeesport, we're still getting helped out and we're still getting recognized. So, it made me happy to see that other kids could get experiences that I didn't have," Cantu said.

In a letter to parents, school leaders didn't know about the partnership dissolution until last Wednesday. Just like parents, they too are surprised.

The Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation said in a statement to KDKA on Tuesday that it is "disappointed" that its partnership with the district is ending. Dick's Sporting Goods laid blame at the feet of the school board and district leadership. 

"From the beginning, we were clear that we weren't just looking to provide funding, we were looking to be a true partner sitting side by side with the McKeesport team to reimagine how the elementary school experience could be approached in a holistic way – one that serves the whole child, their family and the community.

"Unfortunately, the current school board and district leadership did not uphold the written partnership agreement we had in place. When we sought a path forward, the school board president made it clear that there was 'no page to get on.' That response left no room for continued collaboration," the statement said, in part. 

KDKA reached out to the district, but has not heard back as of Tuesday evening. 

Barbara McDonnell is a former district superintendent. She said schools need all the help they can get.

"We don't need less in education," she said. "We need more because our children, at the end of the day, they're the ones that suffer."

That's how a lot of parents and students in the district are feeling. They wonder what the residual impacts of the split will be.

"I want them to have a better experience than I did," Cantu said.

According to the school district, the Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation will honor its existing obligation through the summer.