Private Schools for Students with Disabilities

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December 28, 2009

TO:	Chief School Administrators School Business Administrators/Board Secretaries Directors of Special Services Executive County Superintendents County Supervisors of Child Study Executive County School Business Administrators Directors, Private Schools for Students with Disabilities Business Managers/Bookkeepers, Private Schools for Students with Disabilities
FROM:	Katherine P. Attwood, Assistant Commissioner Division of Finance
SUBJECT:	2010-2011 Tentative Per Diem Tuition Rates (Exhibit A) and 2008-2009 Commissioner Certified Tuition Rates and Adjustments for Private Schools for Students with Disabilities (Exhibit B)

In accordance with N.J.A.C. 6A:23-4.2(i), attached are the 2010-2011 full day tentative per diem tuition rates for private schools for students with disabilities.  Also attached are the 2008-2009 Commissioner certified tuition rates and adjustments for private schools.    

The attached list indicates the maximum tentative per diem tuition rate (column 1) each private school is approved to charge in the 2010-2011 school year.  These rates are the maximum rates a private school may tentatively charge local school districts, unless a higher tentative per diem tuition rate is approved by the department based on the process on the following page.  For your information, also included is the 2008-2009 enrolled days in the private school’s calendar (column 2) and the 2010-2011 projected school year tentative tuition rates (column 3) based on the amounts in columns 2 and 3.

A private school must charge the same amount to all local school districts.  It is very important that the local school district contact the private school to determine the tentative per diem tuition rate the private school will be charging for the 2010-2011 school year and the number of enrolled days the private school anticipates in the 2010-2011 school year.  It is possible that the number of enrolled days reflected in column 2 for the 2009-2010 school year may change in the 2010-2011 school year, which would increase or decrease the total school year tentative tuition rate charged.  A written contractual agreement between the private school and local school district must establish the tentative per diem tuition rate and the number of enrolled days in the school year for each pupil.                        

If the tentative per diem tuition rate places an undue financial hardship on the private school, a higher tentative per diem tuition rate may be approved by the Department of Education through a request submitted no later than February 1, 2010 pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:23-4.2(j).  Private schools interested in requesting a higher per diem tuition rate should contact Jim Verner at (609) 984-4229 or Elise Sadler-Williams at (609) 777-4483 concerning the application procedure.  This information will also be available on the department’s website for private schools for students with disabilities.

N.J.A.C. 6A:23-4.1 et seq. allows private schools to charge separate tuition rates by class type, if the required accounting records are maintained.  Any private school interested in charging separate tuition rates by class type should contact Jim Verner at (609) 984-4229 or Elise Sadler-Williams at (609) 777-4483 concerning the application procedure.  Applications must be received by the department no later than February 1, 2010.  Due to the school district budgeting process and timing of school districts regarding obtaining timely information of changes in tuition rates for PSSD, applications received after February 1, 2010 will not be accepted.

An additional tuition rate (separate from the rate contained in this memorandum) may be approved by the sending districts for a particular pupil who requires extraordinary services.  Once the sending district agrees to pay for a pupil’s extraordinary services, the sending district board of education shall notify the Commissioner within 30 days of such agreement.  The notification shall include the pupil’s initials, the name of the private school, the type of extraordinary service(s) and the cost of the additional service(s).

2008-2009 Commissioner Certified Tuition Rates and Adjustments – Exhibit B
The Commissioner’s certified tuition rates and adjustments for 2008-2009 are contained on Exhibit B.  Exhibit B, by column, contains the following information: 1) schools that are charging additional tuition for extraordinary services are identified by an “A,” 2) the Total Enrolled Days in the school year, 3) the Certified Per Diem Tuition Rate Charged, 4) the Certified School Year Tuition Rate Charged, 5) the Tentative Per Diem Tuition Rate Charged, 6) the Tentative School Year Tuition Rate Charged, 7) the Final Per Diem (Over)/Under Charges, and 8) the Final School Year (Over)/Under Charges. 
 
In accordance with N.J.A.C. 6A:23-4.2(m), a district board of education must pay the approved private school the difference between the tentative tuition rate and certified tuition rate during the second school year following the year for which the actual cost per student is certified.  Therefore, local school districts must adequately budget the Final Per Diem (Over)/Under Charges (column 7), the Final School Year Under Charges (column 8) and undercharges for extraordinary services (column 1) in their 2010-2011 budgets since these funds are due to the private schools in the 2010-2011 school year.  The simplest method to properly budget the undercharges is to multiply the total average daily enrollment (ADE) of the local school district’s students enrolled in the private school, times the school year undercharge in column 8.  However, if the local school district is not aware of the ADE, multiply the total number enrolled days of the local school district’s students enrolled in the private school, times the per diem undercharge in column 7.  In accordance with N.J.A.C. 6A:23-4.2(l), the approved private school must pay the district board of education for such differences (overcharges) no later than June 30 of the school year in which the audit is received (2009-2010 school year).  For accounting purposes, refunds on prior year expenditures are considered miscellaneous income and recorded in Refund of Prior Year’s Expenditures (A/C 10-1980).

The purpose of posting the Commissioner’s certified tuition rates is to expedite the dissemination of tuition adjustments and to eliminate the delay of payments of these adjustments.  Based on the information in Exhibit B, PSSD must refund or credit the (overcharges) in column 8 by June 30, 2010 and school districts must pay the PSSD the undercharges in column 8 by June 30, 2011.  However, in accordance with N.J.A.C. 6A:23-4.2(m).

Questions concerning this memorandum should be referred to Elise Sadler-Williams at (609) 777-4483, elise.sadler-williams@doe.state.nj.us.

KPA/BB/esw:G:\Elise\Word\Tentative Tuition Rates\2010-2011 Tentative Rates\2010-2011 tuition memo draft 10-28-2009.doc
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