Remote Learning - Transportation Claim Reimbursement Q&A - ESSER, CARES, Title

Oct 10, 2026

Uploaded by SANS

Remote Learning transportation reimbursement guidance answers questions on how to calculate actual driven miles, handle reduced routes and lower total costs, and adjust funding when expenditures decline. It specifies student headcount reporting for blended or fully remote districts, distance-based ride eligibility, and when monitors are non-reimbursable. It explains reporting periods for year-long claims, treatment of remote-learning days, and rules for coding summer school, bus driver salaries, and bus depreciation using CARES/ESSER/Title funds, including cash-basis timing and revenue offsets.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Remote Learning

Federal Funds (ESSER, CARES, Title)

Summer School

Remote Learning 1. If homework is sent home for a remote learner on a bus that was running a regular route, should we double the claim the miles? You report actual miles driven under regular transportation miles. 2. Total transportation costs for this year will be lower than last year because of remote learning and a reduced number of routes. This will reduce my reimbursement significantly. Is there any adjustment that would be done in this situation to minimize the reduction in funding? There will be no adjustment. Transportation reimbursement is based on expendituresand will be reimbursed accordingly. If expenditures decrease, then reimbursement will decrease. 3. How is a student counted for transportation if he/she was in remote status for any portion of the school year? Student headcount should be reported based on enrollment for transportation and category regardless of the days a student is transported. Districts that are in blended or fully remote status should continue to report the headcount of students enrolled for transportation. Specifically, report students who live over 1.5 miles, under 1.5 miles without an approved hazard, or under 1.5 miles with either an approved vehicular safety hazard or gang activity-related hazard. Students are counted to ride the bus whether they chose to do so or not. 4. Are we allowed to claim monitors who are utilized for the food delivery/distribution on buses due to remote status? No. Monitors are non-reimbursable for state transportation reimbursement. 5. Transportation for a student began after the start of the reporting period. Are students recorded from the date transportation of students began or from the beginning of the reporting period? The transportation claim reimbursement is for the entire school year, July 2020 – June 2021. Students are counted for the entire reporting period whether the district was in remote, hybrid, or full in-person learning. 6. Should miles that would have been driven on remote learning days be claimed? No. Districts will report the actual miles driven. Federal Funds (ESSER, CARES, Title) 7. Can a Local Education Agency (LEA) report summer school miles and expenditures on the transportation claim under the Regular Ed category if CARES or ESSER funds are used? No. Regular Ed summer school transportation is non-reimbursable. The miles and expenditures will be placed in the Non-reimbursable categories to which they apply. The federal funds used will be reported on line 19(c) Other Revenue on the claim. 8. Will bus driver salaries for the regular school year that are paid out of the ESSER II grant also need to be put under the Non-reimbursable category? Yes. Salaries paid with ESSER II funds will be listed under the Non-reimbursable category and the ESSER II funds utilized for transportation will be recorded on line 19(c) Other Revenue under the Non-reimbursable category. 9. Do we code a bus that the district purchased with ESSER money as nonreimbursable depreciation? The purchase of buses and other transportation vehicles with federal funds will be recorded on the State Transportation Depreciation Schedule with a type code “N,” Not Reimbursable. Your depreciation amount and useful life will default to zero. The ESSER funds used for these types of purchases will be recorded as offsetting revenue in the claim on line 19(c) Other Revenue under the Non-reimbursable category 10. Is summer school transportation that is funded with ESSER funds recorded on the claim as non-reimbursable? Do we also record the revenue as received from ESSER? Yes, those expenditures and miles will be recorded as non-reimbursable. The ESSER funds will be recorded on line 19(c) Other Revenue under the Non-reimbursable category. 11. What if an LEA wishes to claim summer school on the transportation report but does not receive the money from ESSER/CARES until July or August? The transportation claim is based on the cash basis of

FAQs

How should districts claim transportation miles during remote learning days?

Districts should report the actual miles driven, and miles that would have been driven on remote learning days should not be claimed.

How are students counted for transportation when they were remote for part of the school year?

Report student headcount based on enrollment for transportation and category regardless of the days transported, and continue reporting the headcount of students enrolled for transportation in blended or fully remote status.

Are monitors used for bus food delivery/distribution reimbursable under state transportation reimbursement?

No. Monitors are non-reimbursable for state transportation reimbursement.

Oct 10, 2026

Uploaded by SANS