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Board warned of up to $27,000 state-aid shortfall and weighs taking tuitioned special-education students
Summary
At its May 17 meeting, the Frankfort Township Board of Education heard that state aid could fall by up to 3% (about $27,000). Staff outlined options including targeted staffing adjustments and outreach to accept tuition students for special-education placements; parents urged caution about service capacity.
The Frankfort Township Board of Education was told at its May 17 meeting that the district faces a possible state-aid reduction of up to 3% compared with last year — an amount staff estimated at about $27,000 — and staff outlined potential responses, including recruiting tuition students for special-education placements from other districts.
Staff said the district expects an official state-aid release shortly and is preparing budget scenarios. "They're estimating no more than a 3% state aid reduction of about $27,000," a staff member told the board, framing it as the planning worst-case scenario. Administrators said they will explore savings and revenue options and will convene the finance committee to examine scenarios in detail.
As one option to offset revenue loss, staff proposed notifying neighboring districts and county special-education networks that the district may accept tuitioned special-education students if placements are an appropriate fit. A staff member described the outreach process as a consultative review of each referral to determine whether the district could meet the student’s needs.
Public commenters urged care in pursuing tuition students. A resident said, "I just hope it's considered what their needs are with additional services and our personnel," noting occupational and physical therapy scheduling pressures and that existing special-services staff are already stretched. Staff acknowledged the concern and explained that tuition revenue must be reconciled with program costs and audit rules that can require adjustments after a year.
Administrators also flagged the district’s prior practice on a state Medicaid ‘‘semi waiver’’ for small districts: staff estimated the waiver might yield only about $1,300 while imposing substantial child-study-team workload, which the board has historically waived. That trade-off, they said, contributed to the district’s cautious posture on adding new service obligations without additional staffing.
The board did not adopt any final budgetary decisions at the meeting; staff said they will review options with the finance committee and return with recommendations once the official state-aid figures are available.
