[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6220356,"mediaKeyId","3617686-11bc37d95be2f398290a3dfce0c4c7a8","parentId",3617686,"title","Beverly School Committee approves preschool tuition increase to $5,500 for 2025–26","audioSeconds",66,"startMs",3672000,"endMs",3738000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3617686-11bc37d95be2f398290a3dfce0c4c7a8&start=3672&end=3738","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3617686-11bc37d95be2f398290a3dfce0c4c7a8/thumbnail_3672000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6220356/Massachusetts/Beverly-School-Committee-approves-preschool-tuition-increase-to-5500-for-202526","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6220356-b484efd0b6e716229fb9b211dc4a027d/orig.mp4?Expires=1776314493&Signature=aAb620iHjh~c0~asi57OL3-zOGCG3WbJFf1Y9gVBjGgDzCCrfs6ykKxp2Qx84bl6mFwU2lOWx2LAGxAP4VnLDfQpu25cSXVfJI55-id2Xld-LdiKPsSNnB9nC-r5nsgQD2HMmAHIjOZJU6C1KOa1~UDDDdHMvL1uUVd8DgTWQQPEZiLW~FQSws1Bb2KtlCP7pHJ9BvRhpocsRIHMUll8VIjVWllvfNV1FcNiGHYmtqS4f6WIkzrkfUZ9BcsDA70YCp7odLWt85lFKReAJAZ17RlJ0Bo~Ta9O82Ol09olsPB-RtvGX55sSHKZslIJpqpcwpvDp8pS8WPqMuUrX3kEsA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Beverly Public Schools, MA","date","2025-05-29T13:16:19Z","article","The Beverly School Committee voted unanimously to raise the district’s annual preschool tuition to $5,500 for the 2025–26 school year.

Finance Director Emma Pugliese presented the recommendation to the committee, explaining the tuition change applies to peer (tuition‑paying) preschool students; students placed on Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) do not pay. Pugliese said the last tuition increase took effect in fiscal year 2022 and described how the preschool revolving fund offsets staff costs.

Why it matters: the change increases district revenue available to the preschool program and, according to Pugliese, would allow the district to cover additional paraprofessional support if needed in FY26.

Pugliese presented survey data on neighboring districts and said the increase would “anticipate[] increase our revenues roughly $55,000,” which the administration expects could cover one paraprofessional for a full year or two paraprofessionals for a portion of the year depending on hiring timing and benefit elections. She also described the district’s fee‑reduction process: Beverly uses thresholds aligned with the National School Lunch Program to provide income‑based scholarship (fee‑reduction) support.

Program structure and proration: the district’s tuition figure applies to the full‑day, five‑day program; families choosing two‑ or three‑day schedules are billed a proportional share (two‑fifths or three‑fifths, respectively). The district also prorates tuition for rolling start dates if students begin after the academic year starts.

Committee discussion focused on clarity around proration, eligibility for fee reduction, and how increased revenues would be applied to staffing. Dr. Kenan McKenzie DeFranza (remote) praised the approach as a thoughtful way to expand pre‑K staffing and programming.

Ending: The vote passed 7–0. The district will publish the new rate and fee‑reduction guidance and implement the adjusted tuition for the 2025–26 preschool year.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","School Committee: Finance & Facilities/Committee of the Whole Mtg 05/28/2025 (hybrid with captions)","oneSentenceSummary","The School Committee voted to raise annual preschool tuition to $5,500 for the 2025–26 school year, citing anticipated revolving‑fund revenue that could support additional paraprofessional staffing and fee‑reduction options tied to federal income thresholds.","taxTitle","Beverly Public Schools, School Boards, Massachusetts","taxId",71053,"location","Massachusetts","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6220360,"Beverly transportation director outlines rider counts, NICS out‑of‑district contract and electric‑bus plans",75,318000,393000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3617686-11bc37d95be2f398290a3dfce0c4c7a8&start=318&end=393","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3617686-11bc37d95be2f398290a3dfce0c4c7a8/thumbnail_318000.jpg","/articles/6220360/Massachusetts/Beverly-transportation-director-outlines-rider-counts-NICS-outofdistrict-contract-and-electricbus-plans","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6220360-7d62cc2170caa97c4cfee9b1295cb34e/orig.mp4?Expires=1776314493&Signature=lgOpr2Dbk1CCaP8gDnRY9xJIwLnBWbPOvpn0rfpQyidSi-bcgoNNbQ3dqHqV8iTRy9ts4X1fHBEYKnPYBbXMHJpGVyekiO0AJiCx28-9jkxUmrYgm7d5wM~AvJ3uag21eYTe81ndv59eiZB3ppL11slS~N2a9zWWYi8Ow9ORn--F39PVPaX7tcB1OnZ6AU5Lv57Y5r2LaWClcJKsFahk4sQ6LioryjpnOiagSuBH5As95nS1V27oIaeN5W5GwpLsBpgCpaQDvswXLZm--AiWbJ2T1bLXHoUPX~eKQXzB0fjciedRpDXgPb3siMbENIlJnVjisFyE8PhyrgtlL6qP3g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dana Cruishek, Beverly Public Schools’ director of transportation, gave the Finance and Facilities committee an annual overview of routes, riders, drivers and the district’s fleet on May 28.

Cruishek said the district’s general‑education transportation serves 1,235 students, including “47 students from the Saints Academy,” with 149 special‑education riders transported within Beverly and 31 transported out of district. McKinney‑Vento out‑of‑district transportation accounts for 105 students. He described current route counts as: elementary — nine general‑education routes and 17 special‑education routes (including McEwen School); middle school — 12 general and 10 special; high school — nine general and two special.

The presentation focused on three operational areas: a new consolidated out‑of‑district contract, driver recruitment and training, and the electric‑bus fleet.

Why it matters: the district transports students to both in‑district schools and specialized out‑of‑district programs that can be costly on a per‑student basis. Consolidating some out‑of‑district runs through a cooperative bid could reduce the per‑district share of long, small‑load trips.

Cruishek and Finance Director Emma Pugliese described a new North Shore Education Collaborative (NEC) consolidated out‑of‑district transportation contract awarded to a single vendor (identified in the meeting as NICS Transportation). Cruishek said the vendor will handle out‑of‑district routing for multiple member districts and Beverly will remain responsible for vendor payments. Pugliese said the NEC business manager’s preliminary estimate projects savings of “approximately a hundred thousand dollars in the first year.”

Cruishek described how cost sharing creates savings: instead of funding a vehicle for one Beverly student bound for a particular school, multiple districts can share the same vehicle and split the cost. He noted the final per‑student cost will fluctuate month to month as student placements and counts change, and the district will track monthly actuals against the prior fiscal year as the basis for evaluating savings.

On staffing and recruitment, Cruishek said Beverly currently has 18 drivers with CDL qualifications, 11 van drivers and 19 monitors. He described an internal “pipeline” approach to grow the workforce from monitors to 7D (minibus) licenses and from there to CDLs. Cruishek said three staffers are actively training for CDLs and described the required training and certification process, including the state driving test and first‑aid requirements.

Fleet and electrification: Cruishek said the district currently operates five full‑size electric buses and expects five additional, grant‑funded full‑size electric buses to arrive early in the 2025–26 school year, plus three mini electric buses the following year (one with a full‑wheelchair capability). He noted early battery and charging issues have been largely resolved; one full battery replacement had been done under warranty and “It’s a $75,000 battery for a full size bus. We didn’t pay a nickel of it.”

Cruishek explained that Highland (the fleet partner on the electric vehicles) manages charging and can sell power back to the grid under vehicle‑to‑grid arrangements; the district’s current Highland buses were charged by Highland and Beverly did not pay for that charging. He said the district will own new buses and infrastructure (with grant funding), which will change the cost structure in future years.

Operations and safety: Cruishek described the inspection cadence — an annual inspection and quarterly service inspections — and praised district maintenance and registry inspectors for allowing rapid repairs when parts are verified. He also described a pilot of an electronic boarding pass system through BusRite: “When the student comes on the bus, they scan that tag. We know that student’s on the bus,” he said, adding the district will trial the system with summer school runs before wider deployment.

Contract oversight and next steps: Cruishek said Beverly will remain responsible for vendor payments and retain the contractual right to solicit other bids if a better price is demonstrable. Pugliese said the district will provide out‑of‑district student start and end locations over the summer and continue monthly monitoring to assess realized savings. Both emphasized that cost‑sharing benefits depend on actual shared routing and daily head counts.

Ending: The committee asked for monthly monitoring and agreed to receive updates as the NEC consolidated contract begins and as the district adds electric vehicles and the BusRite pilot expands.

","Director of Transportation Dana Cruishek gave the Finance & Facilities committee an annual update on routes, staffing and fleet, including a new consolidated out‑of‑district contract expected to save the district roughly $100,000 in its first year and a continued rollout of electric buses.","actionData","errors"]

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Beverly School Committee approves preschool tuition increase to $5,500 for 2025–26

Beverly transportation director outlines rider counts, NICS out‑of‑district contract and electric‑bus plans