School Choice: How It Works April 2017

Agenda Trends School choice timeline School choice claim form Special education increment form Common questions Contacts

Enrollment and tuition have grown steadily

County N districts N choice % Hampshire 19 18 94.7% Berkshire 17 94.4% Franklin 16 88.9% Hampden 15 88.2% Worcester 49 41 83.7% Dukes 5 4 80.0% Barnstable 11 68.8% Plymouth 27 13 48.1% Essex 32 46.9% Bristol 26 10 38.5% Middlesex 57 20 35.1% Suffolk 1 25.0% Norfolk 33 7 21.2% Nantucket 0.0% State Total 322 188 58.40%

Interdistrict School Choice Chapter 76 Section 12 passed in 1991 32 districts in FY92, 190 districts (including virtual schools) in FY17 All districts now at the $5,000 per student cap Special education increments are added to the $5,000 rate State average special education increment based on current estimates is $5,862. School choice is a local program

School choice timeline Spring: SC’s vote whether to accept new choice students July-November: DOR-DLS bases tuitions on current fiscal year projections October: LEAs submit choice enrollment with October 1 SIMS December: ESE 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: ESE publishes final choice tuitions, DOR-DLS adjusts local aid payments Post June: ESE adjusts any FY17 errors during FY18, up until June 2018

Review and update the school choice claim form Add or remove students Update SIMs information, including special education placement codes Enter addresses Update start and end dates Enter special education increments and transportation amounts Enter multiple records as needed Both forms are due April 28, 2017

Changes/corrections to submitted school choice claims Try to get it right on initial submission Changes preferred by email to rodonnell@doe.mass.edu Only email student’s initials and the last 4 digits of their SASID If you submit a new file, make it clear who the new students are (bottom of the file with comments at far right)

Complete the special education increment form Person completing the form should have CB training Form includes students who had special education increments in FY16 If there were no students reported last year, then a blank file is available Do not change the filename Add, remove, or update student information based on valid IEPs to cost out services Changes made to a student’s IEP during the year may require 2 placement records to cost out services Increment forms are subject to audit

Common questions Can sending districts see special education increment form? Yes, upon request Can siblings be given preference in lottery? Yes, if there are openings Can choice pupils be out-placed? Yes Can a resident student who moves out of town mid-year be converted to choice? Only if the district has open seats (no lottery) What are “MAVA” and “TECCA”? MA Virtual Academy, and TEC Connections Virtual School. Sending districts charged a rate of $6,700 How is split custody handled? Adjust start/leave dates, add extra record if both towns are out of the district Can a student choice in to free FDK if their home district doesn’t offer it? Yes Who receives Chapter 70 aid for choice students? Sending district Can teachers’ non-resident children get preference in the lottery? No Can homeless children be counted as choice? No

Files are due April 28, 2017 School choice claim form Rob O’Donnell rodonnell@doe.mass.edu Special education increment form Elena DeMelin edemelin@doe.mass.edu Program questions Marnie Jain mjain@doe.mass.edu

http://www.doe.mass.edu/finance/schoolchoice/