Special Education Costs Driving Up Brewster School Budget

BREWSTER – As is often the case, Brewster’s school budget bus is being driven by special education expenses.

These costs can fluctuate widely year by year as students graduate or move in and out of town. Projecting ahead to fiscal 2025 (which starts this summer), special education costs could be up 27.27 percent at Stony Brook and 24.25 percent at the Eddy School. That’ll make it hard for the schools to stay within the 3 to 4 percent guidelines set by the town, even with the elementary school budgets in their first draft.

“Budget season is just a crazy season for us because of course we’ve got four communities and two budgets inside of Brewster,” Nauset Regional Superintendent Brooke Clenchy told the Brewster School Committee last Thursday, “and then we’ve got the regional budget as well and the regional budget encompasses four additional budgets.”

The unpredictable special ed costs make it crazier.

“Each of the four town managers has asked us to stay within that 3 to 4 percent,” Clenchy said. “Brewster schools are in a situation similar to Eastham in that special education costs are substantially higher than last year.”

At this stage of the budget process both Brewster schools are projecting around a 6 percent increase in costs, and neither school had a residual of leftover funds to project forward as has been the case in past years.

“Every school finds itself in its own unique position, particularly for our small elementary schools when you have anywhere from three to five to seven children who move in,” Clenchy noted, “and if you’ve got a couple who are extraordinarily expensive then those expenses have to be borne by the community. And you don’t have a choice; there is no wiggle room” because of state laws.

Special education was forcing budget estimates up. Special education teacher salaries were 29.89 percent higher or up by $83,570 as an extra teacher was hired. Hiring that teacher actually saves the school money.

“That special education teacher is working with students that may have otherwise wound up in out of district placement,” Gauley said. “And the kids are doing well and the teacher is doing well. It’s well worth keeping in the budget for next year.”

Special education salaries for speech therapeutic instruction are up $30,000. Occupational therapy (shared across the region) and educational assistance are also up.

“That section is up 16.55 percent or over $128,000,” Gauley said.

There’s also a 9 percent increase in special education transportation costs. More “big dollar figures” are the pre-school tuition for special education (up just under $87,000 or just over 23 percent), out of district costs are up $39,000 or 69.5 percent, and the extended school year for special education will rise $11,700, a 406 percent increase.

“So that total section alone is up over $137,000 and just under 32 percent,” Gauley said. “It is what it is on those three lines.”

The Stony Brook FY25 budget is currently projected at $5,244,140, principal Keith Gauley said, an increase of 12.48 percent. The regular day program is up 6.73 percent and the special education expenses are up 27.27 percent.Teacher salaries were down $15,777, not including the reserves for negotiation, a 0.9 percent decrease.

That was in part because the school has not reinstated the language and world culture program after the teacher resigned to take another job last month. That decision didn’t sit well with many parents and a large contingent showed up to speak at the committee meeting.

“I come before you on behalf of my children, my family and over 140 like-minded Brewster residents,” Christine Peterson said. “One year ago I joined my daughter and a dozen other first graders in this room as they sang a Spanish lullaby. It was amazing. Fast forward one year and our Spanish program is gone. Gone. Adios Spanish.”

She continued, “How disappointing for our community, our caregivers and our children. My daughter said a few weeks ago ‘We can speak Spanish. We can understand Spanish. We were about to learn how to write it. Who’s going to teach us?’ I implore you to put Spanish and world cultures back into the budget and allow for the progress to continue at Eddy in grades three to five.”

With the budget issues, a decision on the position was delayed.

“We didn’t want to advertise immediately because we wanted to see how the budget process was going to play out,” Gauley said. “And when we realized it was not in the budget for Eddy, it’s not in the budget for Eastham, it’s not in the budget for Wellfleet, it did not make sense to post for a position that might be going away in four months.”

Gauley estimated it would cost $80,000 to $90,000 to maintain the language and world culture program for FY25.

At the Eddy School there’s an overall projected 11.66 percent increase, or $481,501 over last year, that includes a 6.81 percent increase in regular day education, or $202,979. Special education at Eddy is up 24.25 percent or $278,523.

“I have minimal new asks in general education,” Eddy Principal Steven Guditus said. He did request an additional 2.5 days for occupational therapy and 1.5 days in speech and language.

A vacant fifth grade educational assistant position was cut from the budget so teacher salaries were only 0.5 percent higher excluding negotiation reserves.

There is a possible out of district transportation/tuition expense of $80,000 that is included but isn’t finalized yet.

There are also $155,000 in capital expenses that will need to be approved at the May town meeting, paid for mostly out of free cash or a debt exclusion. Those items include $40,000 for flooring at Stony Brook, $25,000 hazardous waste abatement, $40,000 for tech, $10,000 for HVAC, $20,000 for security, $20,000 for painting.

Bigger ticket items include shingles at Eddy for $400,000, $250,000 for the parking lot, $90,00 for sidewalk, $804,000 for HVAC design at Stony Brook (10 percent of the total project), roof design expenses of $450,000, a generator replacement at $350,000 or $3,019,236. That’s much less than what’s scheduled for FY26: $8,042,000 for full HVAC replacement at Stony Brook and $3 million for the roof. If those were approved it would trigger 30 percent of the value of the building, requiring bringing the whole building up to code which would costs tens of millions. That’s why the town is seeking to spend money on a study of the efficiencies of consolidation across the district (Orleans is looking at a $50 million upgrade of their elementary school).

The school committee will meet next month to begin refining the budget and make efforts to bring it in closer to the town target.