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RSU 4 special-education spending rises; administrators cite steady identification and out-of-district tuition pressures
Summary
Voters approved $5,425,448 for special education after administration explained identification levels are steady but mandatory IEP-driven costs and out-of-district tuition increases drive the line-item growth.
Voters approved Article 2, authorizing $5,425,448 for special education in RSU 4.
Tom Wood and others raised questions about a roughly 10% year-over-year increase in the special-education cost center and whether identification rates are trending upward. Wood asked whether the district faced an accelerating upward curve of special-education identification; the superintendent and administration responded that the district's identification rate has been "pretty even" and that federal requirements under IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) oblige the district to meet each student's IEP-determined program and related costs.
Administrators said drivers include personnel to serve students, contracted services, and out-of-district tuition. Grondin explained the district budgets for approximately 20 out-of-district slots and said those placements and tuition rates are set externally by the receiving programs and the state, which can create unpredictable increases the district must absorb.
The motion for $5,425,448 carried on voice vote with no roll-call tally reported during the meeting.
