1. School Choice: How It Works
April 2017

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

3. Enrollment and tuition have grown steadily

4. 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%

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. Changes/corrections to submitted school choice claims
Try to get it right on initial submission
Changes preferred by to
Only 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)

9. 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

10. 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

11. Files are due April 28, 2017 School choice claim form Rob O’Donnell
Special education increment form
Elena DeMelin
Program questions
Marnie Jain