BCTHS Funding Formula Discussion

I saw this in the BCCT this morning.

So the auto shop is as expensive as special education? Who knew?

BUCKS COUNTY TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL
Officials to discuss funding formula
Not just special education costs should be considered, but other expenses like the automotive section, a Neshaminy school board member said.
By JOAN HELLYER STAFF WRITER
Joan Hellyer can be reached at 215-949-4048 or jhellyer@phillyBurbs.com.

Bucks County Technical High School’s governing body will meet in May to decide how it wants to proceed with considering a change to the comprehensive high school’s funding formula.

At issue is whether to separate special education costs, which are often more expensive than mainstream expenses, out of the tech school’s current funding formula. If that happens, the expenses would be paid on an actual usage basis instead of being split among the six sending districts as they are now.

The change could have saved Bristol Township about $500,000 this school year, and cost Neshaminy about $450,000 more than it paid in 2007-2008, according to official estimations. In addition, Bensalem could have saved about $65,000 and Pennsbury would have had to shell out about $110,000 more to cover the special education costs for students from its district.

The BCTHS joint board committee, made up of Bensalem, Bristol, Bristol Township, Morrisville, Neshaminy and Pennsbury board members, agreed Monday night to discuss the funding situation during a program implementation assessment meeting at 6:30 p.m. on May 20.

The move comes a week after the Bristol Township school board declined to approve the tech school’s 2008-2009 budget because it felt there was a lack of movement on the funding formula issue.

Neshaminy is the only one of the tech school’s six sending districts that has indicated it is not in favor of the funding formula revision.

“If you single out special education, then you should also single out the automotive section, because it’s very expensive,” said Ritchie Webb, a Neshaminy board member, after the joint board committee’s meeting Monday night.

The committee will decide what it wants to look at in terms of school expenses before it considers changing the special education portion of the funding formula.

Officials have suggested phasing in the revised formula over a fouryear period beginning in 2009-2010.