FY26 A.I. Fiscal Systems: Connecting the Dots
Connecting the Dots: Special Education Grids and Circuit Breaker Reimbursement
Participants will learn to interpret special education tuition rate grids and identify the components that drive placement costs. They will calculate Circuit Breaker reimbursement using DESE formulas, including threshold determination and eligible cost identification, and connect placement decisions and tuition grids to their financial impact on district budgets and reimbursement projections. The session also covers applying Circuit Breaker knowledge to improve budget forecasting, variance analysis, and financial planning, as well as communicating special education costs and reimbursement information clearly to administrators, school committees, and municipal stakeholders.
Tricia Cormier
Finance and Operations Manager
Wellesley Public Schools
Cynthia D. Mahr
Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations
Wellesley Public Schools
Cynthia Mahr has spent more than twenty-five years in state and school finance. She joined Wellesley Public Schools in 2018. Prior to Wellesley, Cynthia served as the Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations for Weston Public School and Director of Administrative Services for the Public Schools of Brookline. She is a Certified Administrator of School Finance and Operations and a Meritorious Budget Award recipient (Weston and Wellesley) from the Association of School Business Officials International, as well as the recipient of the President's Award from the Massachusetts Association of School Business Officials (MASBO). Cynthia is a Past President of MASBO. Cynthia earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Hartwick College and her Master’s in Public Administration degree from Suffolk University.