An ongoing review of the Wainscott School District's tuition payments for special-education services received by some of its students from the Sag Harbor School District has yielded $23,000 in savings for Wainscott from the 2021-22 school year.
While it may not seem like a large sum, in a district Wainscott's size — with just 28 students in kindergarten through third grade and a budget this year of $4.1 million — every little bit matters.
"Those savings are helpful, since our budget for the coming year is the tightest budget in recent memory," David Eagan, the Wainscott School Board president, said by email this week. "In addition, we have had new students move into the district who require special-education services, which has left us with little cushion for the coming year."
The $23,000 will be refunded, "so we can apply it as needed," Mr. Eagan said.
Districts such as Sag Harbor, which receive students on a tuition-paying basis from smaller schools like Wainscott and Sagaponack, can bill those "sending" schools for the special-education services that fall outside the typical tuition rate. One-on-one aides and therapists are examples. Jennifer Buscemi, Sag Harbor's business administrator, said the providers "are billed at cost," encompassing their salaries plus benefits.
"The related services bill was adjusted down to reflect half-hour sessions versus 45 minute-to-one-hour sessions," Ms. Buscemi explained by email Monday.
Tuition rates vary from district to district, and depend on a student's placement in general or special-education classrooms. Sag Harbor charges special-education tuition rates of $56,574 for kindergarten through sixth grade and $65,038 for seventh through 12th grade.
During the 2021-22 school year, according to Ms. Buscemi, Wainscott paid Sag Harbor about $2.5 million in special-education tuition and related services; Wainscott's voter-approved budget for that year totaled $3.83 million.