Assistant superintendent briefed committee on special-education programs, circuit breaker reimbursements and rising out-of-district costs

Assistant Superintendent of Student Services Martha Raymond presented a detailed overview of special-education programming, compliance results and budget drivers at the committee's May 14 meeting.

Raymond described the district's continuum of services: integrated preschool with peer models, full inclusion K—, resource-room instruction, Learning Academy (grades 2—), language-based centers, co-teaching models, Discovery programs through age 22, and a Salem State partnership that places some students on college campus with internships. She said the district's integrated monitoring reviews for special education produced no corrective-action findings in 2023 and 2024 and reported a recent overall special-education rating of 89 (B+).

On finance, Raymond said special-education costs are driven by out-of-district tuition and transportation. She cited a recent year-over-year private and residential tuition increase (noted in the presentation as roughly 3.667% for one category and single-program increases of 8—% elsewhere) and said the district benefits from collaborative placements that remain more cost-effective than private residential placements. Raymond described "circuit breaker" reimbursements as the state mechanism to reimburse districts for unusually high special-education costs; she cautioned that reimbursement percentages vary year to year, delay timing is common, and the district must spend circuit-breaker funds in the following year or return unspent amounts.

Raymond also noted revenue sources that offset costs: IDEA grant funding (she cited roughly $625,000), Medicaid billing for eligible services (with consent), and limited tuition for preschool slots. She said the district has worked with neighboring districts to share low-incidence specialists and has restructured clinical services to control costs. Raymond concluded by highlighting the district's investments in assessment tools and professional development and warning that statewide and federal policy changes (including proposed seclusion/time-out regulation changes and unfunded mandates) could create additional cost pressures.

Committee members asked for clarifications about circuit-breaker timing, transportation runs and collaborative-place capacity; Raymond answered and said the district maintains a special-education stabilization account to hold reimbursement funds until they are expended in the subsequent fiscal year.

What's next: The committee will continue monitoring out-of-district tuition projections and circuit-breaker receipts during final budget preparations for town meeting.