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School committee to examine costly out-of-district special-education placements, members propose subcommittee
Summary
Members asked the superintendent to bring the committee a focused special-education subcommittee discussion after review of high-cost out-of-district residential placements; staff said about two dozen students are in highly restrictive residential settings and some placements occur out of state when in-district and in-state options are exhausted.
The Lowell School Committee on July 15 agreed to pursue a special-education subcommittee discussion after members raised concerns about the district’s use of out-of-district placements and their cost. A committee member flagged an item showing roughly $208,000 billed for a single residential placement in another state and asked whether families had moved or why students were placed so far away.
Assistant Superintendent Roberge explained that residential placements are used only after in-district resources are exhausted and that some placements are made out of state for students with unique needs. She said the district currently has about 24 students in highly restrictive residential programs and that decisions reflect the individualized education program (IEP) process and, in some cases, involvement by the Department of Children and Families, which can affect placement and tuition responsibility.
Committee members said some programs that now serve students out of district might be built in Lowell to produce long-term cost savings. One member recalled past work creating autism programming that allowed students to remain in-district and urged a higher-level conversation about where the district might expand services.
Members agreed that the topic should be scheduled for the special-education subcommittee at an upcoming meeting so staff and committee members can explore options, including whether the district can create or scale in-district programs to serve students now placed elsewhere. The committee did not adopt a policy change at the July 15 meeting; members asked staff to prepare information for the subcommittee and return with possible steps and cost details at a future session.
What happens next: The committee agreed a motion can be made at the next meeting to formally convene the subcommittee discussion; no formal vote to form a permanent subcommittee was recorded on July 15.
