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APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE—2018 ATM
<br /> The METCO program contributes a total number of 219 students to the student population, with 47 re-
<br /> ceiving special education services. Lexington is projected to receive State aid in the amount of$1,518,721
<br /> for FY2019 for the METCO program; this is an average of$6,934.80 per METCO student.
<br /> Special Education Costs Including Out-of-District Tuitions
<br /> The PreK-22 Special Education budget of $32,366,864 makes up 29.94% of the overall budget. This
<br /> amount is an 8.52%increase from the FY2018 budget of$29,826,962.
<br /> For out-of-district placements, $7,037,180 is requested for FY 2019. This amount is after the use of three
<br /> offsets (pre-paid tuitions/LABBB credit, IDEA grant, and Circuit Breaker).
<br /> Before offsets, the projected total out-of-district tuition expenses is $12,168,193, an increase of
<br /> $1,772,423 over FY2018.This is based on:
<br /> • An increase in the projected number of students from 138 to 149.
<br /> • An increase in the average cost per student placed out-of-district from$75,332 to $81,666.
<br /> Funding Sources Not Subject to Appropriation
<br /> The annual appropriation from the Town supports the majority of the school budget. However, the com-
<br /> plete school budget includes additional funds from state, federal and other sources that are not subject to
<br /> appropriation by Town Meeting and are therefore not included in this request. The amounts of these funds
<br /> vary year to year. A brief listing of some of these follows:
<br /> • Federal Grants —For FY2019, the School Department projects that it will receive $2,001,250 in
<br /> federal grants, comparable to the amount that was received in FY2018.
<br /> • State Grants —The Town receives grants from the state to support METCO and School Health.
<br /> State grants do not include cherry-sheet local aid for education, because local aid is considered to
<br /> be General Fund revenue. The School Department projects that it will receive $1,631,520 in state
<br /> grants in FY2019,the same amount it received in FY2018.
<br /> • "Circuit Breaker" Reimbursements — Reimbursements are received from the state when the
<br /> costs of special education services for an individual student, whether in-district or out-of-district,
<br /> exceed a multiple of four times the statewide foundation budget. In the past,reimbursement rates
<br /> have varied between 35% and 75% of the tuition cost. Circuit breaker reimbursement funds are
<br /> paid to the district quarterly based on the prior year's approved claims. Funds received go into the
<br /> Circuit Breaker Revolving Account, do not require further appropriation, and must be expended
<br /> by the following June 30.
<br /> For FY2019, with a projected reimbursement rate of 65%, the estimated Circuit Breaker reim-
<br /> bursement is $3,123,013.
<br /> Fee Programs
<br /> Fees for participants in certain programs, such as preschool, athletics, and transportation, support those
<br /> programs in whole or in part. The School Committee approved an increase in the discounted fee for trans-
<br /> portation from $300/$500 to $330/$550. Additionally, those that register after July 1, 2018 will be
<br /> charged the updated full cost per seat in FY2019. In addition, the after-school bus for the elementary
<br /> schools will be eliminated in FY2019.
<br /> More detailed information about the School Committee recommended budget is available at
<br /> https://lps.lexingtonma.org/Pape/10461 .
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