Norwood’s school committee was warned last night that the town’s special education program faces a severe fiscal crunch for the upcoming academic year.
School Business Manager Lawrence Canter reported that the town may run short of funds to pay for specialized services and external placements mandated by the state’s landmark special education law, known as Chapter 766.
While the school department budgeted $70,000 for outside treatment agencies, preliminary estimates indicate that roughly $60,000 of that total is already earmarked. Canter warned that costs are expected to escalate further due to state funding cutbacks—including the loss of Department of Mental Health funding for a private nonprofit agency serving local children, which could force Norwood to cover increased tuition costs.
Legal Precedent and State Funding Lawsuit
Adding to the financial uncertainty, Canter noted that approximately $55,000 unspent from the 1974–75 special education budget is currently in question following a recent Supreme Judicial Court ruling against Worcester. The court nullified Worcester’s use of Chapter 766 funds to offset its tax rate, forcing the city to transfer $714,000 back into a special education account. Canter urged the committee to seek guidance from Town Counsel Justin C. Barton to determine if Norwood’s accounting practices are similarly affected.
In response to state under-funding of the mandated program—for which Norwood is expected to receive $128,416 this year—school committee member Richard Joseph proposed joining a multi-town lawsuit to compel the state to fully fund Chapter 766 mandates. Superintendent Dr. Philip O. Coakley agreed to confer with Town Counsel Barton regarding the proposal.
Special Education Transportation Contracts
During the meeting, the committee awarded three-year transportation contracts totaling $60,730 annually to two firms: Carl F. Kiessling Transportation Co. of Dedham and Kiessling School Transportation Co. of South Walpole. The awards were approved after rejecting one- and five-year terms. Committee member William Travers advocated for the three-year limit over competing Norwood-based bids to allow local providers an opportunity to re-bid sooner.
Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger
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