Report states average enrollment for all regional schools going down, while costs continue to rise and state aid is inadequate for most school districts.
Auditor finds $17M state funding shortfall for regional schools
October 26, 2017
n Oct. 18, State Auditor Suzanne Bump released a study making recommendations to modernize laws and regulations within the regional school district structure – and calling on the state to fulfill its commitments to several reimbursement programs.
Among the recommendations are that the state should “fully fund its commitment to reimburse 100 percent of regional transportation expenses, offer stipends to encourage efficiencies to reduce transportation costs, and allow the use of regional transportation authorities to provide regional school district transportation.”
State law entitles regional school districts to full reimbursement for school transportation expenses, but this promise is subject to annual appropriation. In fiscal 2016, the reimbursement rate from the state was just 73 percent, the auditor reported, creating a collective shortfall of $14.4 million in this category for regional districts.
“The resulting uncertainty from year to year about the level of transportation cost reimbursement makes budget planning difficult” for regional school districts, the report states.
The report also concluded that the state’s underfunding of the statutory charter school reimbursement formula created a collective shortfall of $1.88 million for regional districts in fiscal 2016.
In addition, the state in fiscal 2016 underfunded reimbursements to regional districts under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act by more than $686,000.
The report concluded that “statutory shortfalls” affecting regional school districts totaled nearly $17 million in fiscal 2016.
State law provides towns with options to regionalize public education across municipal boundaries, with the goal of reducing administrative costs. Under this arrangement, the towns in a regional school district establish a school committee with proportional representation from each member town. Budgets for these districts must be approved by town meetings for each town in the district.
The state has 58 academic regional school districts, which enroll approximately 107,000 students from more than 170 communities.
“Ensuring student success in our regional school districts will … demand collaboration between state and local educational officials, and lawmakers,” Bump said in a statement.
Bump is calling on the state to modernize its funding structure for regional schools by doing the following:
• Developing deeper incentives to encourage communities to regionalize, noting that the current incentives do not provide enough enticement for schools to give up some measure of local control
• Offering planning grants to explore the combination of existing regional districts into larger groupings
• Ensuring greater transparency from the Massachusetts School Building Authority on its decision-making process for districts that close school facilities
The study points to demographic changes, long-standing structural challenges, and funding shortfalls as key factors that de-incentivize communities from moving forward with new or enhanced school regionalization.
During the decade ending with the 2015-16 school year, regional school enrollment declined by 10.5 percent, while statewide public school enrollment declined by just 1.6 percent, according to the report. Overhead costs, however, continue to rise, and state funding is inadequate for many of these districts.
The Auditor’s Division of Local Mandates produced the study.
• View the report: Supporting Student and Community Success: Updating the Structure and Finance of Massachusetts Regional School Districts.
Among the recommendations are that the state should “fully fund its commitment to reimburse 100 percent of regional transportation expenses, offer stipends to encourage efficiencies to reduce transportation costs, and allow the use of regional transportation authorities to provide regional school district transportation.”
State law entitles regional school districts to full reimbursement for school transportation expenses, but this promise is subject to annual appropriation. In fiscal 2016, the reimbursement rate from the state was just 73 percent, the auditor reported, creating a collective shortfall of $14.4 million in this category for regional districts.
“The resulting uncertainty from year to year about the level of transportation cost reimbursement makes budget planning difficult” for regional school districts, the report states.
The report also concluded that the state’s underfunding of the statutory charter school reimbursement formula created a collective shortfall of $1.88 million for regional districts in fiscal 2016.
In addition, the state in fiscal 2016 underfunded reimbursements to regional districts under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act by more than $686,000.
The report concluded that “statutory shortfalls” affecting regional school districts totaled nearly $17 million in fiscal 2016.
State law provides towns with options to regionalize public education across municipal boundaries, with the goal of reducing administrative costs. Under this arrangement, the towns in a regional school district establish a school committee with proportional representation from each member town. Budgets for these districts must be approved by town meetings for each town in the district.
The state has 58 academic regional school districts, which enroll approximately 107,000 students from more than 170 communities.
“Ensuring student success in our regional school districts will … demand collaboration between state and local educational officials, and lawmakers,” Bump said in a statement.
Bump is calling on the state to modernize its funding structure for regional schools by doing the following:
• Developing deeper incentives to encourage communities to regionalize, noting that the current incentives do not provide enough enticement for schools to give up some measure of local control
• Offering planning grants to explore the combination of existing regional districts into larger groupings
• Ensuring greater transparency from the Massachusetts School Building Authority on its decision-making process for districts that close school facilities
The study points to demographic changes, long-standing structural challenges, and funding shortfalls as key factors that de-incentivize communities from moving forward with new or enhanced school regionalization.
During the decade ending with the 2015-16 school year, regional school enrollment declined by 10.5 percent, while statewide public school enrollment declined by just 1.6 percent, according to the report. Overhead costs, however, continue to rise, and state funding is inadequate for many of these districts.
The Auditor’s Division of Local Mandates produced the study.
• View the report: Supporting Student and Community Success: Updating the Structure and Finance of Massachusetts Regional School Districts.
Gansett does not have proportional representation on the district school committee. Templeton should have four reps for every Phillip$ton rep.
ReplyDeleteI can say for sure, as an employee of NRSD, that enrollment has been on a rise over the last few years. Most recently, enrollment has risen over 100 students across the district this school year.
ReplyDeleteAnon 10:30
ReplyDeleteNot according to this info. Based on this since 2013 the High and Middle school lost over 120 students.
http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/analysis/enrollment.aspx?orgcode=07200505&orgtypecode=6&
http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/analysis/enrollment.aspx?orgcode=07200305&orgtypecode=6&
Ok, why would non-regional school districts want to join a regional school district?
ReplyDeleteSo they can enjoy the same shortfalls in school transportation, charter school reimbursements, and McKinney Vento?
Don't forget the Nuclear Option
Look at the regional school systems around you. They are having meetings to pretend they are not going to close local elementary schools. Build it and they will come era has passed.
School Choice is convenient for the people who have grandma and grandpa living in town. Their kids can get dropped off in the morning, and after school at their grandparents' house, eliminating the cost of a daycare. Although not always the case, this is one of the major reasons for school choice in the lower grades.
DeleteAnon: 11:03
ReplyDeleteWith all due respect, if you look deeper into the link you posted you will find that total enrollment has been climbing over the past 4 years. With this years numbers not finalized until end of year. Here is what I found from your link
FY2014- 1,347 students
FY2015- 1,348 students
FY2016- 1,358 students
FY2017- 1,391 students
FY2018- I can tell you that this year we are over 100 more students than last year. Please contact the school district to answer questions. Should be very easy to ge that information. The numbers were presented to the general staff by the superintendent at our new school year assembly.
If you truly respected my answer you would have shown 2013 at 1389. So we have had a total increase of 2 students since 2013.
ReplyDeleteAre you counting the kids from the Center school now there???