School Finance: School Choice

FY09 School Choice Tuition, June 2009

June 18, 2009

The school choice assessment and tuition amounts due to be incorporated into the June 30, 2009 local aid distribution have been finalized. On June 30th the State Treasurer's office will process the remaining portion of the assessments and tuition, net of the amounts paid in the December, 2008 and March, 2009 quarterly local aid distributions.

By the end of June, superintendents of sending and receiving districts will be able to obtain their final school choice rosters and tuition amounts for each pupil. The information will be placed in the ESE security portal's school choice claim form dropbox. These spreadsheets will show each school choice pupil's name, address, enrollment dates, program, tuition and other information. School staff should contact ESE if they feel any of the information is not completely accurate, so that adjustments can be made during FY10.

A district summary shows the number of full-time equivalent pupils and tuition amounts for the 157 receiving districts and 267 sending districts involved in this program. During FY09 there were 11,300 full-time equivalent pupils participating, with total tuition amounting to $65,529,337. After incorporating $37,381 of adjustments to FY08 tuition, the net tuition statewide is $65,491,956.

School Choice Tuition Rates are calculated for regular and vocational programs. FY09 school choice tuition rates are set at 75 percent of the FY08 operating cost per full-time equivalent pupil for the receiving school district, with a cap of $5,000. In addition, the actual special education cost for each pupil with an individualized education plan is paid in full by the sending district. That amount is determined using the same rate methodology for specific services as is used in the special education circuit-breaker program.

If you have any questions about this information, please contact Phyllis Rogers of the Office of School Finance, at (781) 338-6534 or progers@doe.mass.edu..