Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Special Education Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board members press district staff on $8–10 million in out‑of‑district tuition costs
Summary
During the board’s budget and finance session, members probed large purchasing‑agenda tuition items tied to roughly 130 out‑of‑district special‑education placements; district staff estimated annual costs for those placements at about $8–10 million and explained 'draw down' encumbrance on contracts.
Board members at a Toms River Regional School District budget and finance meeting on Oct. 1 questioned large line items on the purchasing agenda tied to tuition and out‑of‑district placements for students with disabilities.
"What does 'draw down' mean?" asked Mrs. Lamp, seeking clarity about multiple large entries on the purchasing list. A district staff member responded, "we will encumber something that means we create a purchase order ... we make payments on it ... draw down it usually isn't one payment." The exchange established that many contract items are funded through encumbered purchase orders that are paid over time.
Mrs. Lamp then asked about a high tuition amount listed for the Alpha school and how many students that represented. District staff (Joy) said the district currently places about 130 students out of district — a figure she reiterated during the meeting — and estimated total annual costs for those placements at roughly $8–10 million (she described that as "an estimate").
Board members stressed that those large figures help explain why some line items appear sizable and limit easy opportunities for budget trimming. Staff described the district’s placement process as following the least‑restrictive environment principle: when district programs cannot meet a student’s needs, the district looks to other public or private placements that provide required services. Officials said some neighboring public programs and private placements are used when those placements better serve a student’s needs or when district programs are full.
The discussion remained informational; no motion or formal vote was recorded on the purchasing agenda during this item. The board did not adopt any new policy or change placement practice in the session, and staff offered to provide specific student counts and itemized totals for particular schools to any board member who requested them.
The board next moved on to other agenda items.
