2009-03-25-AC-rpt2 - Laserfiche WebLink

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APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE REPORT TO 2009 ATM —MARCH 2009 Out of district budget FY2009 budget FY2009 est. Feb -6 -09 FY2010 budget % Change FY09budget- FY10 budget Total # students 100 104 93 -7.0 Total cost $6,289,083 $6,365,335 $6,957,080 +10.6% Circuit breaker $1,804,515 $1,914,856 $1,720,001 -4.7% Net cost to town $4,484,568 $4,450,479 $5,237,079 +16.8% Under the circuit breaker program, the state reimburses Lexington each year for some of its out -of- district special education expenses one year after they have been incurred – in other words, the assumed circuit breaker revenue in the FY2010 budget represents reimbursement of expenses incurred in FY2009, for which the Town will submit a claim in July 2009. The state will reimburse Lexington for 72 -75% of the tuition costs incurred over a base amount of approximately $37,328 for each out -of- district placement. The FY2010 budget assumes a reimbursement level of 72 %. Transportation costs are not currently eligible for reimbursement. Transportation. Transportation expense for special education students is projected to increase 3.2% in FY2010, from the FY2009 budgeted amount of $1,252,602 to $1,292,153. The budgeted increase is the result of inflation in the cost of transportation, plus assumptions about the nature of the transportation required for each student. Some students have changed from residential to day placements, for example, resulting in lower tuition costs but more frequent transportation requirements (daily vs. weekly). The FY2010 budget assumes a decrease in the number of placements (both in- district and out -of- district) that will require transportation from 177 in the FY 2009 budget to an assumed 140. Lexington is now part of a pilot program and is currently bidding out its service needs along with multiple other communities. New programs The FY2010 Blue Book includes a detailed description of a recommended new service delivery model for the Fiske Intensive Learning Program (ILP) that is intended to enhance the effectiveness of this program, as well as to save money by avoiding out -of- district tuitions and reducing payments to contracted agencies (Blue Book pp. 89 -92). The new model is projected to result in incremental expenses of $68,065 and to avoid expenses of $237,012, for a net cost avoidance of $168,947. An improved Early Childhood ILP program should save $3,585 in FY2010, resulting in total projected savings of $172,532. These new models would continue the administration's track record of creating or improving in -house programs that result in net savings of out -of- district and other expenses. Full Dav Kinder ag rten The Lexington Public School system currently operates twenty full -day kindergarten classrooms. The program currently serves 388 students, 31 of whom receive financial assistance. The table below outlines the actual revenue and expenses for FY2009, which form the basis for cost estimates for FY2010. FY2009 Full -Day Kindergarten Revenue and Expenses Revenue Dept. of Education Grant $298,000 Fees Collected $353,801 METCO Grant $60,742 FY09 Operating Budget (Financial Assistance) $19,000 Total $731,543 Page 13 of 59