School Finance: Charter Schools

Charter School FY09 Tuition and Enrollment Projections

Below you will find links to FY09 tuition and enrollment projections for charter schools and sending districts. It is our hope that this information will assist in the FY09 budget process for charter schools, school districts, and municipalities.

It is important to note some caveats that may affect the accuracy of these projections. While actual enrollment cannot exceed the projection reported by a given charter, enrollment by individual sending school districts may vary. Additionally, each sending district's tuition rate is a function of local spending and is subject to change.

With the passing of the state budget, facilities aid reimbursement will be fully funded, with the Chapter 46 increase in tuition reimbursement pro rated at 92 percent. For a detailed explanation of Chapter 46, please reference the following link: http://finance1.doe.mass.edu/charter/charter_tuition.html.

Finally, pursuant to M.G.L. Chapter 71 Section 89(i), no public school district's total charter school tuition shall exceed 9% of its net school spending. The "Projected FY09 FTE Remaining under the Net School Spending (NSS) Cap" link provides detailed capping information. The last column in the matrix indicates the number of additional pupils, where one pupil equals an FTE of one, who may be enrolled from the district without exceeding the cap. If the number in this column is negative, the district's tuition has exceeded the net school spending cap and charter schools receiving pupils from this district will be subject to capping. For the full text of M.G.L. Chapter 71 Section 89(i), please reference the following link:http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/71-89.htm

If you have any questions regarding the FY09 projections, please contact Hadley Cabral of the Office of School Finance at (781) 338-6586.

Reports:

•   Projected FY09 Charter School Enrollment and Tuition, by charter school

•   Projected FY09 Charter School Enrollment, Tuition, and Reimbursements, by sending district

•   Projected FY09 Charter School Tuition Rates

•   Projected FY09 FTE Remaining under the Net School Spending (NSS) Cap