Which suburban schools for special ed? (Boston, Newton: houses, buyer, school district)

[hockeymomnj]

We are relocating from Montclair, NJ to Boston this summer. Both of our boys, ages 9 & 11, receive special ed services in school. We have been looking at houses in Wellesley & Newton but haven't found anything that we like. We want to consider other towns but it would have to be somewhere that has good special ed services in the public schools. We also need a town with access to mass transit into downtown Boston. Any suggestions?

[hcoen]

Have you considered Westwood, Canton or Sharon. From what I hear, all offer good service for special ed. I know of a family moving out of Boston with 2 special ed kids. They believe these are towns to consider. Needham next to Newton, may be another alternative.

[smarty]

You may want to check out Department of Education website. Read and understand how Special Education works in MA. One measure is per pupil expenditure. It will give you some comparison of what the town is willing to support in terms of $$$.

Direct Special Education Expenditures as a Percentage of School Budgets, FY97 to FY06
School Finance: Statistical Comparisons

As you know, special education is a very general term. You may want to talk to a school official to better understand your needs. Some may have what you need in house. Some may need to send you to a different school district to get the service.

[scarletfire]

I would contact the principals of schools in towns you're interested in directly and inquire what resources they can provide specifically for your childrens' type of special ed. I wouldn't rely just on what the town websites say - sometimes they are listed incorrectly or programs have changed since the sites were last updated. I recently contacted principals in Shrewsbury for a colleague who was thinking to move there and was pleasantly surprised to receive fast, detailed, honest feedback from the school principals at two different schools addressing her specific concerns. You can also ask your buyer's agent do this kind of homework for you to save you time.

I also had heard from a friend of mine who works at a Montessori school that in some districts kids with the same special needs are lumped together, so for example, children suffered from PTSD might be bussed to one town whereas kids with ADD are bussed to another nearby town and grouped together in a class. I hadn't heard of this before but thought it was worth mentioning.

Best of luck in your search!

Best of luck!
-L

[smarty]

It is true that many towns collaborate so each one carry a special program. This way the town do not have to hire ONE teacher for that one special need. It is more economic to have at least 3-5 kids of the same special need together with one teacher rather than one teacher for one special need kid. However, ADD is usually common enough that they will not send kids out.

Check out The Great Opportunities program.