Lincoln-Sudbury flags 14 percent special-ed tuition hike as top fiscal 2024 pressure

SUDBURY — December 12, 2022 — Lincoln-Sudbury warns Sudbury Finance Committee of 14 percent special-ed tuition hike for FY24. Superintendent-Principal Bella Wong and Finance Director Christine Patterson told the committee at its Dec. 12 budget-pressures hearing that state-approved out-of-district tuition increases of up to 14 percent — versus the historical 2.5 to 3 percent cap — will add roughly $500,000 to $600,000 to a tuition line near $5 million, with overall out-of-district costs rising about $900,000. The district plans to raise its circuit-breaker offset from $2 million to $3 million, helped by several students aging out at 22. Patterson also flagged a $36,198 current-year shortfall from a late Middlesex County Retirement System OPEB funding change, and $51,000 remaining in ESSER III aid. Enrollment fell to 1,483 from 1,515. Member Henry Sorett pushed administrators to pursue dual-fuel boilers and integrated solar roofing, saying conservation deserves "bigger thinking."