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Westborough schools propose special‑education reserve to cushion volatile tuition costs
Summary
Superintendent Allison proposed creating a special‑education reserve account funded at town meeting to stabilize large year‑to‑year swings in out‑of‑district tuition costs and Circuit Breaker reimbursements; she said the reserve would be appropriated and spent under school committee and select board votes.
Superintendent Allison told the joint budget summit the school district’s proposed level‑service FY26 budget includes a substantial share to cover out‑of‑district tuition and transportation increases that the district cannot control. She described unusually large per‑student placement costs—private day placements often exceed $65,000–$171,000 and private residential placements can top $250,000—so year‑to‑year swings drive volatility in the school budget.
To reduce budgetary fragility Allison recommended establishing a special education reserve account under state law that could be funded by appropriation at town meeting and spent only after school‑committee and Select Board votes. She cited peer communities that maintain balances (one benchmark district had about $750,000) and suggested the account could be fed in part by a portion of Medicaid reimbursements and other recurring receipts.
Allison said the reserve would “mitigate the impact of these big swings” so the district could budget for probable placements rather than worst‑case possibilities. Select Board members and Advisory Finance Committee members asked staff to prepare additional materials explaining how the reserve would be funded and governed and how its presence would change the district’s budgeting approach.
