School Finance: School Choice

School Choice Roster Updates, Spring 2008

3/10/08

October 1, 2007 enrollment submitted by receiving districts through SIMS was the basis for tuition calculations used to generate the December 29, 2007 and March 31, 2008 assessments and payments for school choice sending and receiving districts.

The school choice law requires both a fall and a spring enrollment reporting period. For this spring's reporting, receiving districts are asked to download their current enrollment spreadsheet from Department's security portal, and save the file locally. Because SIMS does not collect exact start dates, leave dates, or pupil addresses, district staff should enter that information for each pupil. In addition, for any school choice pupil who receives special education services, a pupil-specific special education cost should be calculated and entered on the spreadsheet (for further guidance, see the school choice sped increment explanation). When all of the school choice data have been updated, the claim form should be saved on the district's computer and uploaded through the ESE security portal to the district's school choice drop box.

These data changes will be used to calculate final FY08 school choice tuition. The June 30, 2008 local aid distribution will reflect the difference between final annual tuition and the amounts paid in the December and March distributions.

Please note:

• The sped increment is calculated on a template similar to that used for the circuit breaker program. However, there are differences. For that reason, receiving school choice districts should be sure to download and use the FY08 School Choice SPED Increment template .

• Each district claiming increments must upload its completed sped increment file to the school choice drop box on the security portal. Beginning this year, this applies to any level of increment, not just those eligible for Circuit Breaker reimbursement.

• All sped increment calculations are subject to audits by Department's Circuit Breaker staff.

• Summer services that occurred between June and September of 2007 (if specified in a student's IEP) are now eligible to be included on the sped increment form.

• Claim Form Instructions   are available for completing and updating the school choice claim form spreadsheet, which is named "08choice000.xls" where 000 is the lea code.

• A certification statement   is required from the superintendent of each receiving district. This should be mailed or faxed to Phyllis Rogers at the address below, once the file has been submitted.

  Office of School Finance
  Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
  350 Main Street
  Malden, MA 02148-5023
  Fax 781-338-6530

• The "08choice000" claim form spreadsheet, sped increment template and certification statements are due by April 25th, 2008.