School Choice in Massachusetts: How It Works Roger Hatch, ESE School Finance Administrator School Choice Webinar April 8, 2016

Main Topics of This Webinar Trends since 1991 School choice timeline How do you fill out school choice claim form? We will briefly describe first few steps of the “school choice sped increment workbook” Common questions Myths and Misunderstanding Where to go for questions or advice? 4/8/2016 2

School Choice Enrollment Is Growing Steadily 4/8/16 3

Interdistrict School Choice School choice law c76 s12 passed in districts participated in FY92. Of 325 operating districts in FY16, 187 accept choice pupils Tuition rate is 75% of receiving district per pupil expenditure for regular ed pupils, capped at $5000. All districts are now at the $5,000 cap. Special ed increments are added to the $5000 rate. State average rate is $6,007. Intra district school choice is a local program 4/8/16 4

School Choice Timeline: FY16 It’s a 2 ½ year cycle for choice kids enrolled during FY16 During FY15 Jan 2015: “cherry sheet” estimates based upon Oct 1 enrollment (ESE and DLS) Spring 2015: school committee vote for FY16 new students (notify ESE) Spring 2015; school committee holds lottery if competition for slots June 2015: DLS posts final FY16 cherry sheets 4/8/16 5

School Choice Timeline: FY16 During FY16 DLS: assesses and pays one twelfth of latest estimate of annual tuition as part of monthly local aid distributions District: Reports choice kids in DOE011 (03) and DOE13 (02) in October SIMS ESE publishes Oct choice rosters for sending and receiving districts in mid- December on school choice dropbox, also annualized tuition estimates on school finance website, reflecting estimated sped costs for choice pupils with iep’s ESE: posts spring claim forms and sped increment forms at end of March District: Downloads April claim form from choice dropbox, sped increment form from school choice adminisration website, completes and submits forms to dropbox ESE: May 2015: posts preliminary FY16 tuition and enrollment based upon April claim forms, for districts with accepted data, in mid-May ESE: June 2016: posts final FY16 tuition and enrollment based upon all spring submissions DLS: reconciles final FY16 tuition and assessments during May and June distributions 4/8/16 6

School Choice Timeline FY16 During FY17 District checks rosters and follows up on any errors: confirm with the other district; report to ESE ESE: will adjust any FY16 errors during FY17, up until June /8/16 7

School Choice Claim Form ESE posts Oct 1 rosters in December in school choice dropbox, for both receiving and sending districts. Districts should review rosters immediately, and contact ESE if any errors. The December rosters (“16choicerec****.xls” or 16choicesend****.xls) are NOT the spring claim forms. ESE posts Oct 1 claim forms for receiving districts (16choice****.xls) at end of March in school choice dropbox, reflecting any changes submitted by districts after looking at December rosters. District staff obtain sped increments from sped increment form to be completed by sped office staff trained in circuit breaker methodology Districts should finalize claim forms (16choice****.xls or xlsm), making changes to addresses, start/leave dates, new enrollments, choice pupils becoming residents, special ed increments, sped transportation costs, by end of April. Upload “16choice****.xls or xlsm to school choice dropbox. 4/8/16 8

ESE Security Portal: Drop Box Central 4/8/16 9

School Choice Claim Form Dropbox 4/8/16 10 Posted by ESE Posted by District

Changes/Corrections to Submitted Claims Try to get it right on initial submission Changes preferred by to ESE Rule: do not put a student’s name and sasid in an . One or the other ok. New students: either two separate s or else newly submitted file, making it clear who the new students are (bottom of the file with comments at far right) 4/8/16 11

Common Questions Can sending district see sped 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 choice” (no lottery). What are “MAVA” and “TECCA”? Mass. Virtual Academy, and TEC Connections Virtual School. Sending districts charged a rate of $6,700 Where do I find the school choice regulations? There is a school choice law (c76 s12b) but there are no school choice regulations. How to handle split custody? Adjust start/leave dates, add extra record if both towns are out of the district. Can a pupil choice in to free FDK if home district doesn’t offer it? Yes. Who receives Chapter 70 aid for choice pupils? Sending district. 4/8/16 12

Sped Increment Form: Three Tips Person filling out the form should have attended circuit breaker training After downloading either the 2003 or 2010 Excel template from the school choice website, go to the drop-down box in cell d4 and select your district’s name To enter a student sasid use the “New Student” (2003) or “Add A New Student” (2010) buttons 4/8/16 13

Myths and Misinformation About Choice Sending district has to vote to agree to pay (Not true) Teachers’ non-resident children get preference in lottery (not true) March SIMS is used to adjust for choice mid-year (not true) Homeless children can be counted as choice (not true) 4/8/16 14

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