RICHMOND, Va. -- Melvin Bolden considers himself a proud father, especially when it comes to his eight-year-old son enrolled in Henrico County Public Schools.
“He’s good in math, reading," Bolden said. "He does swimming, he does basketball, he does soccer. We keep him busy."
Bolden said he didn't want his son to fall behind after being in virtual school during COVID-19, so he and his wife placed him in a learning center for weekly tutoring. That tutoring helped him "enormously excel," Bolden said.
“We want to invest in our kids. We want opportunities for our kids that we may not have had as a youth," Bolden said.
That mindset is exactly what motivated Bolden to apply for a Virginia Learning Acceleration Grant.
In March, Governor Glenn Youngkin (R - Virginia) announced that the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) would give out $30 million in grants directly to parents.
Youngkin's goal was for parents to use the money to buy private tutoring services, as well as support therapies and summer enrichment programming, to make up for pandemic learning loss.
In May, Bolden learned he was approved for a $1,500 grant.
“And I was like, ‘Wow, thank you, thank you. This is going to help out,'" Bolden said.
Bolden's funds were deposited into an online account called ClassWallet, the website where parents can browse through and place orders for approved services and educational materials.
But Bolden hasn't been able to use any of his money yet, he said.
On June 28, VDOE Superintendent Dr. Lisa Koons sent a message to parents alerting them that payments will only work on a reimbursement basis after the provider has already completed the services.
“One of the requirements is, pretty much it's a reimbursement. Most providers, pretty much, they want their payment upfront," Bolden said.
Using that logic, Bolden said he paid his tutoring provider upfront for classes, and then later submitted invoices to VDOE through ClassWallet.
However, most of his invoices were denied.
“We've had about three or four invoices that were rejected," Bolden said.
Bolden said he tried again, sending another invoice to the state using the same exact information and format, and for some reason, that invoice was approved.
As a claims specialist with 23 years of experience, Bolden said there didn't appear to be a rhyme or reason as to how or why invoices were being approved or rejected.
He isn't alone in his frustrations. CBS 6 previously aired a report highlighting Richmond mom Gabrielle Cevallos' struggles to use her grants.
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She thought education grants would help her kids. Turns out, she can't use them.
She was approved for two $3,000 grants, the amount provided to low-income parents, for her two special needs children.
However, she was forced to cancel the speech therapy sessions that she had registered for, because the provider wanted the payment upfront. Additionally, she said the program rejected all her orders for assistive technologies.
“I read the article of the young lady. That prompted me to reach out to you. I felt her pain," Bolden said.
Other parents also reached out to CBS 6 after the story aired, expressing similar concerns about the grants. Here's a look at some of their comments:
"Everything I tried to order was rejected. Now I'm stuck because the money is just sitting there, and I can't use it."
"It's an absolute nightmare... Tried to find a tutor and can't find one."
"None of the "approved tutors" seem to be responding."
"Having to figure out the tutoring system and trying to talk to the people at the VDOE was a complete waste of my time."
"There is no indication in this parent agreement that payment occurs after the services are used."
CBS 6 has learned that some tutoring providers, Varsity Tutors and Outschool, which were previously available to parents as tutoring options in ClassWallet, were suddenly removed from the program.
According to a Varsity spokesperson, VDOE did not require vendors to operate on a reimbursement basis when Varsity first joined the program.
"On Monday, 6/26 we were notified by ClassWallet that the Virginia Department of Education is requiring all vendors to bill after hours have been consumed. This required a restructure of our contract with ClassWallet and required temporary removal from the platform on Thursday, 6/29. We have since been informed that we would be back on the platform by today, Wednesday, 7/5," a Varsity spokesperson said.
A spokesperson for Outschool said Outschool was also unaware of the reimbursement payment structure "until it became an issue."
"We learned after the program stopped approving orders in June," a spokesperson said.
Outschool provided a statement, reading, "Outschool has been removed from the marketplace and we can't speak to the VA DOE's reasons. We are working with ClassWallet and the Virginia Learning Acceleration Grant team to identify a path forward and look forward to continuing to serve VA families."
CBS 6 reached out to Governor Youngkin's office and VDOE with questions about the removal of tutoring providers and why the state switched to the reimbursement model midway through launching the program.
We also asked for a response to concerns from parents regarding orders being rejected, restrictions on services and purchases, and providers who want payments upfront.
Youngkin's spokesperson Macaulay Porter responded with a statement, reading, "With overwhelming demand, VDOE received the maximum number of applications for K-12 Learning Acceleration Grants and all available funds have been used. The Department has assured the administration that they have allocated additional staff to assist parents and students with any questions or concerns about this program."
CBS 6 followed up to ask if all available funds have been used, how does that impact parents with remaining balances in their accounts?
Porter deferred that question to the VDOE.
The VDOE has not yet responded to CBS 6's inquiries sent Monday and Wednesday.
"People may give up, and again, that's a loss in investment in our children. The customer suffers again. I feel that it's harsh to feel that we need to be reimbursed for these services. I think if something that you're approved to provide is approved, it should be a seamless process," Bolden said.
Bolden said whatever the issues are, he hopes they're resolved soon.
Program rules state that parents must use at least $750 of their grant money by August 15 or risk losing the funds.
“I appreciate the thought behind helping us and putting investment into our children. I think the execution has been flawed," he said.
Depend on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for in-depth coverage of this important local story. Anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
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