Superintendent: Sequester Cuts Starting to Impact the Stoughton Schools

"Unfortunately the first impact of the Sequester has arrived, and quite suddenly," Dr. Marguerite Rizzi, Superintendent of the Stoughton Public Schools said in a release sent to members of the media.

Sequestration went in effect March 1 after Congress and President Barack Obama were unable to strike a deal to avoid these mandated budget cuts.

As a result, the subsidy program available to help make Advanced Placement (AP) exams more affordable for students eligible for free and reduced school lunches is in limbo due to these cuts, according to a release sent by Dr. Marguerite Rizzi, Superintendent of the Stoughton Public Schools. 

However, despite the likelihood that this subsidy will not be available for this year's AP tests in May, Dr. Rizzi said the Stoughton Schools are stepping up to make sure these students can still take the exam at the reduced rate.

"This announcement about the sudden suspension of the funds comes on such short notice that families would be scrambling to come up with the full cost of the exam. For some, it would mean the end of this opportunity, which has been such a piece of so many students’ successful academic careers," Dr. Rizzi said. "Fortunately, the guidance budget has $1,032 that can supplement the amount that has been lost, and can step in and cover the cost of the fees, and they have been authorized to do so."

According to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website:

As of March 1, 2013 the U.S. Congress has not yet agreed upon an appropriation for the Massachusetts State AP Exam Subsidy Program. The AP Fee Subsidy program is fully dependent upon federal funds.The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education receives these funds as a grant from the U.S. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (US ED). Due to the federal Sequester and the impending domestic budget cuts, the grant has not yet been offered to the states. At this point, unfortunately, it appears there will not be a state subsidy for the May 2013 AP exam cycle.

The Massachusetts subsidy is dispersed to the school districts within the state. 

"The district receives funds to offset the cost of taking Advanced Placement exams for students who qualify for Free and Reduced price lunches.  These tests are expensive, and the funds have insured that the cost would not be a barrier for our disadvantaged students who have worked so hard to earn the right to take the exams for college credit," Dr. Rizzi explains in the release. "Sitting for Advanced Placement exams is a way to ensure acceptance in more prestigious colleges and can even reduce the cost of a college education."

The fee for each AP exam is $89, according to the Mass. DOE website. The College Board offers a $28 fee reduction to these students, plus schools forgo an $8 administration fee, making these exams $53 for students eligible for free and reduced school lunches. 

The state, through the AP Fee Subsidy program, was able to further reduce the cost of these exams from $53 to just $10.  

But, "due to the Sequestration, at the current time, this state subsidy is unavailable," the Mass. DOE website states. 

However, in Stoughton, these students will still be able to take the test at the reduced rate this testing cycle, with the Stoughton Schools covering the cost of the subsidy. 

Dr. Rizzi said she knows this is "just the beginning" of the impacts these cuts will have on the schools.

"There has been a great deal of speculation about how the Federal Government “Sequestration,” or mandated cuts in the absence of any deal on the deficit would impact schools. This is uncharted territory and not a situation with which any school district or municipal government is familiar," she said in the release. "In Stoughton there are 14.5 teachers paid through federal grants, as well as a significant amount of our professional development, English Language Learners budget, and Special Education services."

Dr. Rizzi added, "It is heartbreaking that this first impact of the Sequester hits students immediately and our most resource challenged students at that. This is just the beginning.  While it is possible to fill this gap other, larger, gaps are coming, and it is not a reasonable expectation that the district will be able to make these up."