DESE notifies district of extraordinary circuit-breaker relief totaling an estimated $132,858
Summary
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education notified Northbridge that the district qualified for extraordinary circuit-breaker reimbursement this year, with a projected additional payment of $132,858 at an estimated 39.57% reimbursement rate.
The Northbridge School Committee was notified that the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has accepted the district’s claim for extraordinary relief under the circuit-breaker special education reimbursement program and that an additional $132,858 has been projected to come into the district’s revolving account this fiscal year.
A district staff member told the committee the district’s reimbursable claims increased by 37.3% year over year, which qualified the district for extraordinary relief under DESE’s formula. The projected reimbursement rate for the extraordinary portion is 39.57%, producing the $132,858 estimate. District staff said the money was already posted to the district account on May 7 and must be spent in the current fiscal year and applied to outer-district tuition and related costs.
Under the circuit-breaker program, typical reimbursements can be carried forward one year; extraordinary relief funds are treated differently, the staff member said, because they are intended to offset unusually large increases in current-year special-education costs. The district will still file its final claim for the full year’s expenses at year end.
Committee members described the notice as welcome relief and noted how the district’s revolving account balance can fluctuate substantially from year to year depending on placements and related costs.
