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Regional special‑education program shifts cost: Frederick County’s share rises as Winchester withdraws early‑childhood seats
Summary
Committee heard that the NREPP regional program will increase Frederick County Public Schools’ share of costs by about $722,000 next year after Winchester City approved withdrawing early‑childhood students; the program expects a net reduction of 15 FTE across the three participating localities.
Officials presented an update on the Northern Regional Educational Placement Program (NREPP), the regional special‑education program for which Frederick County serves as fiscal agent. NREPP serves students from Frederick County Public Schools, Winchester City Public Schools and Clark County Public Schools; it is governed by a board composed of the three superintendents.
Fiscal impact: Presenters said Frederick County’s share of the program budget will increase by about $722,000 next year due to enrollment shifts caused by Winchester City moving its early‑childhood students back into Winchester schools. Because the reimbursement model for intensive special‑education placements operates on a three‑year rolling average of each locality’s enrollment, a decline in Winchester’s share of enrollments reallocates more of the operating cost to Frederick County.
Reimbursements and enrollment: The presentation said Frederick County Public Schools recouped $627,785 last year through the state’s CISA reimbursement process for certain high‑cost students (the presenters used the term 'CISA'/'Cysna' when describing the state cost‑reimbursement model). At the time of the presentation, Frederick County’s NREPP enrollment figures included 29 school‑age students, 17 of whom met the state criteria for reimbursement; the program’s early‑childhood enrollment was cited at roughly 145 students (the presenter noted an end‑of‑year figure of 162 and that Winchester’s decision will reduce early‑childhood counts).
Staffing: Presenters told the committee the program will reduce staffing by about 15 full‑time equivalents next year overall; some reductions will come from vacancies, normal attrition, and reassignments of staff into other Frederick County positions. Program staff emphasized they had reviewed needs and wants and adjusted the regional program budget to be fiscally responsible given changing enrollment.
Next steps: Committee members asked clarifying questions about the enrollment shift and whether total program enrollment was down (presenters said total school‑age population was not increasing and that early‑childhood reductions were the cause of local shifts). No formal action was taken during the finance committee meeting; staff will continue to refine budget impacts for the full board.
