Lincoln-Sudbury FY24 budget meets town guidance despite 14 percent tuition jump

SUDBURY — December 6, 2022 — Lincoln-Sudbury proposes FY24 budget that meets town guidance despite 14 percent special ed tuition hike. Superintendent-Principal Bella Wong and Finance Director Kirsteen Patterson told the Regional School Committee on Tuesday the plan exceeds combined Sudbury (3.3 percent) and Lincoln (roughly 4 percent) guidance by $152,730, a gap they will close through natural attrition. To absorb the state-authorized tuition jump, the district will raise its circuit breaker offset from $2 million to $3 million, a move Wong said is sustainable because residential placements totaling close to $1 million will age out at 22 in fiscal 2025. The budget sustains a $383,109 OPEB contribution against a trust valued at $2,654,704.56, funds a new advisory program, and supports Global Scholars enrollment that has grown from 83 to 127 students. October enrollment was 1,483, down from 1,515. The superintendent search subcommittee will interview three firms — including MASC and the Collins Center at UMass Boston — on Dec. 12, with a full committee vote set for Dec. 15.