Quincy projects drop in out-of-district placements as De Cristoforo Learning Center enrollment grows

Quincy Public Schools staff told the special education subcommittee on April 30 that the district expects out-of-district special-education placements to fall as more students enroll at the De Cristoforo Learning Center (RDLC), a Quincy-run program for students with intensive needs.

Ms. Graham, a Quincy Public Schools staff member, said the district projects 143 students in out-of-district placements for 2026 under current enrollment and fiscal-responsibility rules. She said Quincy will become fiscally responsible July 1 for three students who moved into city limits prior to April 1 and already had placements accepted elsewhere.

Quincy officials presented current and projected enrollment at the RDLC: 48 students in grades K–8 for 2024–25 and a projection of 54 students for 2025–26. The district estimated that keeping about 30 of those kindergarten-through-third-grade students in Quincy rather than sending them to out-of-district placements would save roughly $5.2 million per year in tuition and transportation costs compared with typical external placements.

Staff provided examples of tuition and transportation costs for other programs used by Quincy students. The presentation listed typical annual tuition and an approximate transportation cost of $40,000 per student for several out-of-district options: South Shore Educational Collaborative mini school tuition roughly $83,699 (total with transport about $123,699); Melmark School tuition $150,257 (about $190,257 with transport); May Center day program $153,054 and residential $318,254; New England Center for Children day program $156,000 and residential levels from about $312,000 to $455,000. Staff noted two recent residential placements that moved into Quincy with previously accepted placements and annual tuitions of about $297,540 and $335,986, which the district must now fund.

District staff explained that an individualized education program (IEP) team determines placements and that Quincy tries to exhaust in-district options, choose sites close to home to limit travel time and require parental consent to change placements. Ms. Graham said the district draws its data from the Aspen/SIMS report as of March 1 each year and that historical increases in tuition drive the savings argument for in‑district capacity.

Committee members asked for details about residential placements and travel times. Ms. Graham said residential placements numbered “about half dozen or so” in recent reporting and that nonresidential students typically travel up to about an hour each way depending on traffic. Mrs. Lebo and Mrs. Hubley praised the RDLC program for keeping students in Quincy and for enabling families to participate in school events and oversight.

On growth and next steps, staff said the district already submitted an application to the state Department of Education and has documentation for expanding RDLC programming as students age; they noted that adding high-school classes is a straightforward, incremental process under their existing approval. Staff said they will monitor enrollment, program capacity and costs and provide updates to the committee.

No formal vote occurred; the item was an update and discussion. Staff offered to provide exact counts of residential placements and additional budget detail on request.