Special education grants
lunenburgbudgetproject.org — written by the Lunenburg Budget Project, an independent tool for residents. Not affiliated with the Town of Lunenburg, the School Committee or the school district. The data this page is computed from: /data/topics/special-education-grants.json
The circuit breaker paid a median $507,832 a year, FY2010 to FY2026; IDEA allocated $437,380 for FY2027.
What to expect next year
Circuit breaker (state)
Repays last year’s placement costs. Revised during the year.
What it means: A listing, not a payment: it moves with last year’s costs and DESE’s rate, so the range matters more than the number.
IDEA (federal)
An award spent over two years, set by formula.
What it means: The steady part: close to last year’s, every year, and too small a step to absorb a new placement.
| Circuit breaker, paid (state) | IDEA, allocated (federal) | |
|---|---|---|
| FY2010 | $211,224 | not published |
| FY2011 | $201,165 | not published |
| FY2012 | $567,634 | not published |
| FY2013 | $615,317 | not published |
| FY2014 | $575,389 | not published |
| FY2015 | $672,634 | not published |
| FY2016 | $784,099 | not published |
| FY2017 | $507,832 | $353,466 |
| FY2018 | $366,790 | $360,585 |
| FY2019 | $433,975 | $374,354 |
| FY2020 | $478,987 | $381,743 |
| FY2021 | $484,579 | $398,502 |
| FY2022 | $519,394 | $411,652 |
| FY2023 | $415,750 | $417,855 |
| FY2024 | $401,966 | $433,488 |
| FY2025 | $549,407 | $437,529 |
| FY2026 | $579,142 | $437,278 |
| FY2027 | not published | $437,380 |
IDEA is school age and preschool. Title I and the pandemic grants are not special education and are left out.
1 · The facts
$507,832
circuit breaker, median year, FY2010 to FY2026
$492,076
circuit breaker, average year
$201,165
circuit breaker, lowest, FY2011
$784,099
circuit breaker, highest, FY2016
$519,394
circuit breaker, median of the last 5 years
$818,087
circuit breaker, FY2027 initial listing (district)
$437,380
IDEA allocated, FY2027
$411,652
IDEA, median year, FY2017 to FY2027
$861,014
the two together, median year
2 · What it shows
- 1
The circuit breaker paid a median $507,832 a year, from $201,165 in FY2011 to $784,099 in FY2016.
What it means: Circuit breaker income swings by hundreds of thousands from year to year, so it cannot be counted on as a fixed sum.
- 2
IDEA moved steadily, $353,466 to $437,380, never more than 4.4% in a year.
What it means: IDEA is the steady part, and it barely grows, so it cannot absorb a new placement.
- 3
The FY2027 listing, $818,087, is above every year paid since FY2010.
What it means: A larger repayment arrives in FY2027 and refills the account; it also says the costs of FY2026 were high.
Related
Sources
- Town of Lunenburg — Town Accountant (MUNIS) — glytdbud-expense-fy2026-p13-gf-school.xlsx (school general fund, FY2026 at the close)
- Lunenburg Finance Committee — general-fund-budget-vs-actuals-history.xlsx (voted against spent, FY2010 to FY2022)
- Massachusetts DESE — dese-circuit-breaker.xlsx (circuit breaker payments)
- Lunenburg Public Schools — 2026-10-22-special-education-funding-superintendent-finance-committee.pptx (special education funding, to the Finance Committee, 22 October 2026)
- Town of Lunenburg — 4130-fy-2025-annual-town-report.pdf (FY2025 annual town report: the May 2025 Town Meeting votes)
- Massachusetts DESE — radar-sped-direct-expenditure-trends-fy2008-fy2025.xlsx (special education direct expenditure trends, FY2008 to FY2025)
- General Court of Massachusetts — G.L. c.40 §13E, the special education reserve fund
- Lunenburg Budget Project — munis-school-journal.csv (every school journal line, FY2023–FY2026)
- Lunenburg Budget Project — dese-entitlement-allocations.csv (DESE entitlement grant allocations)
- Lunenburg Budget Project — placement-counts.csv (the town’s 1 March placement counts)