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Special-education tuition and placements cited as main driver of Glocester K–5 shortfall
Summary
Officials told the council that rapid increases in special-education tuition, out-of-district placements and related fringe costs are the largest contributors to recent deficits; one out-of-district residential placement was cited at roughly $90,000.
Glocester school and town officials told the special July 29 meeting that special-education tuition and out-of-district placements are the primary cost drivers behind recent school deficits. Beth Kalen (speaker 3), a school finance staffer who spoke during the meeting, described cases where a single residential placement arranged through DCYF reached roughly $90,000, and said a small number of such placements can push the district from a manageable operating deficit into a cumulative shortfall.
Superintendent Renee Perazzo said the district has been exploring whether it can bring some students back into Glocester by developing in-district programs to reduce tuition and transportation costs. "Why can't we bring our kids into our own schools and grow our own program?" Perazzo asked, noting the district has some local capacity and regional expertise to begin that work. Officials cautioned, however, that building such a program requires up-front staffing and safeguards and that not all placements are eligible for state extraordinary-cost aid in the same way (some are child-welfare placements rather than special-education placements).
