Spring School Choice Webinar Highlights and Timeline

Explore the evolution of school choice in Massachusetts, with over 28 years of history and significant growth in enrollment and tuition rates. Discover important milestones throughout the year for school committees, DOR-DLS, DESE, and LEAs. Learn about the process, forms, and regulations related to school choice participation, special education increments, and virtual school rates.

• School Choice
• Webinar
• Massachusetts
• Education
• Enrollment

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1. Spring school choice webinar April 2021

2. 01 Program highlights and timeline School choice claim and special education increment forms 03School choice participation report and school choice advisory 02 CONTENTS

3. 01 Program highlights and timeline

4. School choice has been an option for students and families for over 28 years 32 districts in FY92, 194 districts (including virtual schools) in FY21 The regular education tuition rate is $5,000 per student Special education increments are added to the $5,000 rate oThere is no cap on special education charges oState average special education increment based on current estimates is $4,998 oThe virtual school rate is $8,666 plus a $75 per pupil administrative fee 4 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

5. School choice enrollment and tuition have grown steadily over time, including virtual school enrollment 17,161.0 $120.0 20,000 18,000 $100.0 16,000 $113.6 14,000 $80.0 10,790.1 12,000 $ millions Students $60.0 10,000 8,000 $40.0 6,000 $62.0 4,000 $20.0 2,000 $0.0 0 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Tuition Students 5 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

6. There are a number of important milestones throughout the year Spring: School committees vote on school choice participation plans July-November: DOR-DLS tuitions based fiscal year projections December: DESE publishes choice tuitions based on October 1 SIMS, releases choice rosters, and DOR-DLS adjusts payments January-March: LEAs submit roster corrections April: LEAs submit school choice claim and special education increment forms May-June: DESE publishes final choice tuitions, DOR-DLS adjusts local aid payments Post June: DESE adjusts any FY21 errors during FY22, up until June 2022 6 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

7. School choice claim form and special education increment form 02

8. The school choice claim form allows districts to finalize their school choice enrollment for the entire year Add or remove students Update SIMs information, including special education placement codes Review and updated prepopulated addresses as needed Enter street address and city/town of residence for each student (no PO boxes) for students who do not have addresses Update start and end dates for individual students as needed Enter special education increments and transportation amounts Enter multiple records for students who moved or whose parents share custody 8 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

9. Its important that you check your data thoroughly before you submit it VERIFY that special education increments match the amounts entered on the special education increment form ONLY enter dates for individual students if they differ from the district's start or end dates (see the instructions) DO NOT report any of a student's time spent as a resident during the year USE the dropdown menu to enter the city or town of residence CHECK all addresses before submitting your file DO NOT leave blank rows in your data 9 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

10. School Choice Claim Form Sample District 10 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

11. During the month of May we work to validate your data before we submit final numbers to DOR-DLS in June If you need to make corrections to your submission, contact Cheryl at Cheryl.A.Loiselle@mass.gov Any issues that are not corrected before the end of the year can be handled as prior year adjustments next year 11 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

12. The special education increment forms allows districts to cost out services for school choice students Person completing the form should have circuit breaker training The form includes students who had special education increments last year If no students were reported last year, then a blank file is available When working with the file: o Do not change the filename o Add, remove, or update student information based on valid IEPs to cost out services o Changes made to a student s IEP during the year may require 2 records Increment forms are subject to audit 12 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

13. You may need account for remote and in-person days when completing your special education increments Districts should submit claims for both remote and in-person services provided during the pandemic if the level of service the students received in a remote setting is different than the services received in- person If your district used the ten days of professional development at the beginning of the school year, then you should claim those as remote days For any school choice in out-of-district placement, you should claim the full cost of the tuition that was paid 13 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

14. Some special education students may have multiple placements Possible placement scenarios Districts can only include days in which services were provided. If remote services were not provided, you cannot include those days in your claim 1stplacement Days during the school year when the student was receiving in-person services in a hybrid model. 2ndplacement Days during the school year that the student was receiving remote services, if the level of service differed from in-person services. 3rdplacement Days during the school year after the return to full-time in-person instruction if the student was receiving a different level of service than they were receiving during in-person days earlier in the year. 14 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

15. Other important considerations that may impact special education increment claims OSD authorization is required for unapproved programs and Individual Price Authorizations (IPAs) oThere is an online process for IPAs > $20/hour Out-of-state public programs: Any costs for additional services must be claimed as supplemental in-district Settlement agreements must lead to an IEP and if the student is placed in an unapproved program, OSD authorization is required 15 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

16. School choice participation report and school choice advisory 03

17. School districts are required to accept school choice students unless they vote otherwise All districts must report their school choice participation plans by June 1, 2021 We are using an electronic report to collect this information, eliminating the need to submit letters or emails If you still plan to participate, your school committee does NOT need to vote, but you still need to complete the form 17 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

18. Resources School choice advisory and Frequently Asked Questions document. The topic areas addressed in the FAQ include: oDistrict participation in school choice oProvision of information on school choice oAdmission and continued attendance of students oRights of students oTransition between schools 18 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

19. Please contact us if you have questions School choice claim form Cheryl Loiselle Cheryl.A.Loiselle@mass.gov Cheryl.A.Loiselle@mass.gov Special education increment form circuitbreaker@mass.gov circuitbreaker@mass.gov Program questions Marnie Jain Marnie.A.Jain@mass.gov Marnie.A.Jain@mass.gov 19 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

20. Additional resources School choice program website Webinar on claiming special education students 20 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

21. THANK YOU District and School Finance Cheryl.A.Loiselle@mass.gov 781.338.6517 www.doe.mass.edu 75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148