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Trustees question high out-of-district tuition and discuss parent transport options
Summary
Board members raised questions about large out-of-district special-education tuition costs and whether paying parents to transport students or other alternatives could reduce busing costs; administrators said some conversations and insurance requirements are underway but no policy change was finalized.
Trustees pressed district staff on Feb. 5 about large out-of-district tuition costs and whether the district has considered alternatives to bus transport, including reimbursing parents for transporting out-of-district placements.
Trustee Nadia (surname not provided in transcript) said the tuition figures looked "astronomically high" on the agenda and asked whether placements were unilateral or negotiated. Dr. Spencer said the listed placements were not unilateral placements and that the special-education team would confirm whether the line items shown were tuition-only (without busing costs).
Trustee Nadia also asked whether the district had considered agreements that pay parents to transport their own children to placements as some districts do. Dr. Spencer said the district has discussed the option but noted that insurance requirements for parents who transport students can be a barrier and that conversations are ongoing.
Nut graf: Trustees requested additional detail and documentation for out-of-district tuition line items and asked staff to recheck whether posted amounts include transportation. Administrators said they would provide clarifications and noted that parental-transport contracts raise insurance and compliance issues that need resolution before any program change.
Trustees and staff also referenced special-education spending as an area auditors suggested could benefit from additional financial oversight; the superintendent said that hiring a financial-analyst position (job posting in personnel) was discussed as a way to monitor and control costs.
Ending: Administrators said they would follow up with more detailed breakdowns of tuition vs. transportation costs and with any legal or insurance prerequisites for any parent-transport stipend program.
