Tewksbury officials warn rising special-education costs are straining district budget; ask state for relief

Tewksbury — Superintendent Terry Regan told the School Committee on Tuesday that escalating special-education needs and the costs of servicing them have put the district under “financial pressure to meet all of our students' academic and social emotional needs.” Without additional relief from the state, she said, “reductions are needed in our other areas of our budget.”

The presentation, led by Regan and Director of Special Education Candice Tharrod with budget examples from district finance staff, said the district faces unpredictable tuition increases for out-of-district placements and sharply higher transportation costs. The presenters told the committee that 33 unexpected new or changed tuitions since budget certification have added about $3.8 million in tuition costs this year alone.

Regan and finance staff said the district has used carryover funds from its circuit-breaker reimbursement account to cover some overages but that the pool has been largely exhausted. Officials described circuit breaker as the state reimbursement program for high-cost special-education expenses and noted the program’s threshold this year was about $52,400 per eligible student (projected at $53,400 for the next fiscal year). Under a fully funded circuit-breaker model,…