Superintendent shares Assabet Valley Collaborative 2024 reports; committee seeks clarification on slots vs. payments

Superintendent Allison notified the committee that the district received the Assabet Valley Collaborative's 2024 annual report, audit and cover letter and described positive early impressions of the collaborative's special-education programming and shared services.

Several School Committee members praised the collaborative's purchasing power and financial management. A committee member said the auditing firm described the collaborative as "a well run organization" and that their work has yielded cost savings for member districts.

Nut graf: While members expressed general support for the collaborative, some raised a separate concern about student placement at Assabet Valley High School. Committee members said Westborough pays membership/slot-related costs but faces a lottery for admission to Assabet Valley High School; one member asked staff to review the district's contract and enrollment data to determine why Westborough appears to be "paying for slots" that it cannot use because of lottery-based admissions.

Committee members asked administration to report back with year-by-year data on how many students applied to Assabet Valley High School, how many were accepted and how enrollment aligns with the district's payment obligations. One member said: "We pay a lot of money for services at Assabet. We're supposed to have a percentage number of students... find out why we have been penalized in recent years to pay more for less students." The administration acknowledged the request and offered to follow up with the collaborative and bring back information at a later meeting.

Ending: The administration will request additional data from Assabet Valley Collaborative and return with a report on slots, enrollment and financial obligations to clarify the district's membership costs and student access.