Wayland school officials brace for 48 percent special education budget jump

WAYLAND -- January 9, 2023, Wayland weighs a $1.74 million special education increase as state caps explode. School Committee members met jointly with the Finance Committee on Monday for a Q&A on an FY24 special education line that would rise 48 percent, driven largely by a state-mandated 14 percent increase on out-of-district tuitions, far above the typical 2 to 3 percent. Interim Special Education Director BJ Cataldo said nine unilateral placement letters from parents arrived in a single week last July, calling the volume "astounding" against her 40-year career. The district has 33 students currently placed out-of-district, with transportation running roughly $400 per day per student. A new language-based classroom at Claypit Hill is keeping 10 students in district, avoiding what Cataldo estimated as $350,000-plus in tuition if even five had been placed out. The committee plans to submit a warrant article Wednesday creating a special education stabilization fund. Members also unanimously approved a 5 percent BASE tuition increase, the program's first since 2021.