School committee approves more than $1 million in contracts after members question high tuition, field‑trip and mediation costs

The Lowell School Committee voted Sept. 3 to approve a set of contracts and purchase orders — collectively totaling more than $1 million — despite questions from several committee members about unusually large line items.

Committee members focused questions on high out‑of‑district tuition and specialized transportation costs, a $56,360 contract to bring K–8 students to the Tsongas Industrial History Center at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and a $35,000 contract with Middlesex Community College for a violence prevention peer‑mediation program at Lowell High School. The motion to approve the package was made by Mister Lay and seconded by Miss Martin and passed on a roll call of 5 ayes, 1 abstain and 1 absent.

Why it matters: school officials said many of the largest costs are required by placements or outside providers and may be paid from specific grants or external funds rather than the district’s general budget. Committee members said they want clearer detail before approving similar contracts in the future.

Most of the transportation and related line items reflect services for out‑of‑district students placed because of special‑education needs, the superintendent, Doctor Pinto, said. Committee member Mister Conway highlighted several items and sought line‑by‑line explanations. "So the majority of the transportation costs ... are for out of district students," Doctor Pinto said in response. Miss LeGrand, district staff, explained that some large figures are tuition for a single out‑of‑district placement rather than transportation: "The League School for Autism, that's their tuition for 1 out of district student, not the transportation cost." Conway asked aloud, "So it's $200,000 a year for 1 student's tuition?" and staff confirmed that some specialized placements can reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

Committee members also asked about a nearly $300,000 van‑pool item and what number of students it covers. LeGrand said the "van pool transportation is for multiple students" and acknowledged the line items’ presentation on the agenda could be clearer.

Funding sources: committee members asked staff to identify when contracts are funded by external sources. Doctor Pinto and staff said some items are covered by state or federal grants. For example, the Ignite Reading tutoring contract for $22,500 is paid from Title I funds. The Project Wayfinder contract — listed at $100,000 to deliver tiers 1 and 2 of social‑emotional learning for schools that have not adopted the Open Circle program — is funded in part through a Department of Public Health grant, Doctor Pinto said.

Other items: Greater Lowell Technical High School was listed for $224,375 to provide vocational instruction (automotive, HVAC and related programs) to Lowell students in an after‑school arrangement. Staff estimated participation last year at about 24 students and said this year’s enrollment could be as many as 40, which a staff member roughly calculated as about $5,600 per student if 40 students attend. The committee asked for confirmation of student counts and per‑student cost calculations.

Several members asked whether programs that Middlesex Community College and UMass Lowell provide could be run in‑house to save money. Mister Conway asked, "Can't we put all those resources together and come up with a program and save $35,000?" Doctor Pinto and staff responded that some contracts are tied to grant requirements or specialized programming that the district cannot meet internally under current staffing and certification arrangements.

Procedure and oversight: Doctor Pinto reminded the committee that the school department had budgeted funds for many of these contracts during the budget process, and that the contracts will not be executed until the committee approves them. "The committee is absolutely entitled to withhold approval for any of these contracts that you don't see fit to approve," Pinto said. Several members asked for clearer documentation in future agendas and suggested staff bring additional detail and justification — including fund source and student counts — before committee votes.

The committee approved the package by roll call: 5 ayes, 1 abstain, 1 absent. The record shows Mister Bahu cast the abstention.

What's next: Committee members asked staff to return with itemized clarifications (student counts, funding source, and per‑student cost calculations) on the larger line items before similar approvals in the future.