Hearing Scheduled To Review Education Appropriations

The Town Council has scheduled a public hearing for next week to present a series of state special education reimbursements that are designated for the Board of Education.

The hearing is slated for Aug. 16 at 7:05 p.m. at Town Hall.

The ordinance setting up the hearing was originally written for an Aug. 2 date, but council members were worried about it conflicting with the National Night out celebration in Downtown Rockville.

Plus, the council postponed its Aug. 2 regular meeting as part of a lightened summer schedule.

There ordinance was therefore amended.

The town has received from the state $975,306 as a partial reimbursement for special education and placement expenditures for the 2010-11 fiscal year.

The breakdown is as follows:

• $255,734 from a special education agency placement grant.

• $627,888 from a special education excess cost student-based grant.

• $91,684 from a mainstream education state agency placement grant.

State law says that the funds should be appropriated to the local board of education if the equivalent has not already been transferred.

The amount was adjusted to the tune of $30,773 because the state overpaid the town by that amount in the educational cost sharing grant.

So the total being transferred to the Board of Education by the council would be $944,533.

A special town meeting to vote on the transfer is scheduled to follow the public hearing.