Post date: May 17, 2017 1:47:25 PM
The Division of Local Services has posted on its website preliminary cherry sheet estimates based on the Senate Ways & Means Committee's (SWM) FY2018 budget recommendations released today.
Click on this link to display the municipal cherry sheet estimates, or this link for the regional school cherry sheet estimates.
The SWMs budget recommends funding FY2018 Chapter 70 at $4.757 billion, which includes $12.5 million in transitional relief for school districts whose chapter 70 aid was negatively impacted by the change in low-income enrollment measures. Most other cherry sheet accounts are consistent with the Governor's House 1 budget proposal.
It is important for local officials to be aware that beginning in FY2018, the Division will begin assessing districts sending children to a charter school on a monthly basis starting with July. Previously this assessment was deducted monthly from December through June. The charter tuition reimbursement payment schedule will also be changed to coincide with the new assessment schedule for the tuition payments. In FY2015 when local aid distributions were changed to monthly the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) modified the payment schedule for the receiving charter school districts to monthly, but requested delaying the assessment until December to reflect the October 1 enrollments. This process required the State Comptroller's Office to override the payments to charter schools and the account balance was negative until the end of the fiscal year which was determined to be in conflict with MGL. The State Comptroller has requested that the tuition payments and assessment be reconciled on a monthly basis. Although this means a change to sending district cash flow, it will have no impact on the budget. Since these estimates are included in the cherry sheet, districts are already budgeting for this expense and raising the amount on the tax rate recapitulation sheet. As always final actual tuition payments, assessments and reimbursements will reflect updated enrollment changes.
Cherry sheet estimates for charter school tuition and reimbursements are based on estimated tuition rates and projected enrollments under charters previously issued by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Please be advised that charter school assessments and reimbursements will change as update tuition rates become available. Estimates for the school choice assessments may also change significantly when updated to reflect final tuition rates.
It is important for local officials to remember that these estimates are preliminary and are subject to change as the legislative process unfolds.