The school choice assessment and tuition amounts that will be incorporated into the June 30, 2020 local aid distribution have been finalized. On June 30th the State Treasurer's office will process the remaining portion of the annual assessments and tuition, net of the amounts paid in the monthly local aid distributions over the first eleven months of the fiscal year.
The district summary workbook lists all receiving and sending districts' enrollment and tuition amounts for the year. This year there were 17,375 full-time equivalent pupils participating, including 14,403 school choice students and 2,972 students enrolled in one of the two Commonwealth virtual schools, with total tuition amounting to $114,145,715. After incorporating $31,406 in adjustments to FY19 tuition, the net tuition statewide is $114,114,309. There were 183 receiving school districts plus the two virtual schools and 315 sending districts.
The regular day school choice tuition rate is $5,000 per student for school districts and $8,572 per student for Commonwealth virtual schools, including a $75 per student administrative fee. An incremental cost is also added to the tuition for each special education student reflecting the additional cost of the services that they are receiving. This amount is determined using the same methodology for specific services that is used for the special education circuit breaker program.
Sending and receiving districts should review their final school choice rosters and tuition amounts for each student. The rosters are now available in each district's school choice claim form dropbox on the Department's Security Portal. These files include each student's name, address, enrollment dates, program, tuition and other information. District staff should contact the Department if they find any errors so that we can follow-up and make any necessary adjustments in FY21.
If you have any questions, please contact Rob O'Donnell in the Office of District and School Finance at (781) 338-6512 or Robert.F.O'Donnell@mass.gov .
Last Updated: June 30, 2020
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 135 Santilli Highway, Everett, MA 02149
Voice: (781) 338-3000 TTY: (800) 439-2370
Disclaimer: A reference in this website to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public and does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.