As the need for special education services rises in Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester, the Joint School Committee says it’s time to change the system.

During the January 19 meeting, committee member Sharon Hartley said she had a problem with the current policy for funding special education at the high school level.

The Old Rochester Regional budget is supported by the three towns. However, each town pays separately for any additional costs to the district, including special education services.

Under the current policy, each town is responsible for a student in the program until he or she reaches the age of 22.

Hartley said this is unfair to the three towns, as the needs for special education are expensive and increasing every year.

In Rochester, the town is facing $120,000 in additional special education costs to its budget due to an increased number of students in need of special education services.

“It comes from frustration we feel every year as we prepare budgets,” Hartley said. “It doesn’t seem to make sense. When the bargain was formed, there was no way of knowing the difficult financial matter special education has become.”

Hartley suggested the towns combine their individual budgets with the district budget. Each town gets $5 million now, with $16 million going towards the Old Rochester Regional Junior High and High School.

Hartley said the towns might consider combining their resources so that, when the need for additional services comes up, all three towns would take on the cost.

“It would be easier to fund with a $30 million budget as opposed to a $5 million budget,” said Superintendent Doug White.

Hartley suggested that the members of the Joint School Committee create a sub-committee comprised of members from each town to review the current policy and propose an alternative.

Committee members agreed to open the discussion with their individual town School Committees – Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester.

The School Committees are scheduled to meet during the first two weeks of February.
Marion School Committee member Christine Winters said she would be interested in joining the sub-committee as it would give each town a better grasp on what to expect when planning the 2013 budget.

“I think it’s always helpful and important to have the conversation,” Winters said. “It’s hard to budget when you don’t know how many children services we’re paying for.”

If the sub-committee proposes an alternative to the current policy for special education, the matter would have to be voted on by each town.

Two of the three towns would need to vote in favor of a change to the special education policy for a new agreement to go into effect.