04/21/2026
Posted by Jennifer Vincent, BOS:
There has been a lot of discussion about school choice, so I want to break this down as simply as possible as factual and real information is important and context is important because nothing is as simple as people want things to be.
It's unfortunate but true. One lesson I learned early on is to trust the people doing the job unless they show me otherwise. The thing with social media is that everyone seems to think they are an expert. I would never in a million years tell the police how to do their jobs. I didn't go to the academy, I don't do their jobs everyday. It would be pretty arrogant of me to think I know better than them. Same thing with our highway department and other departments. If I had not spent most of my life in education I would not be posting this but this is something I understand deeply. I ask everyone to think about where you are getting your information from and ask for facts. Go to the source unless all you are looking for is drama and to be angry at someone else.
My Response:
School choice students are filling seats we already have.
We already pay for the teachers, classrooms, buildings, and utilities whether those seats are filled or not.
School choice allows the schools to fill those empty seats and bring in revenue to help cover those existing costs.
A quick note on the math being shared:
The calculation circulating averages K–8 and high school costs to get $18,771 per student.
That’s not an apples-to-apples comparison. Berkley does not pay for high school school choice students that attended Berkley K-8. So including the 9–12 number here doesn’t apply.
Also, the correct and most current available for K–8 per-pupil cost is $16,159. https://profiles.doe.mass.edu/profiles/finance.aspx?orgcode=00270000&orgtypecode=5&
More importantly:
Per-pupil cost is an average, not a price tag per student.
Let’s address the biggest question directly:
If the cost is $16,159 and we receive about $5,000, where does the rest go?
It doesn’t “go” anywhere.
That $16,159 represents the total cost of running the entire school system divided by the number of students. It's an average.
It includes things like:
• teacher salaries
• buildings and maintenance
• heat and electricity
• insurance
• transportation
• support staff and services
Those costs already exist whether those seats are filled or not.
So adding a school choice student does not create a new $16,159 expense.
The real comparison is simple:
Empty seat = $0
Filled seat = ~$5,000 in revenue
Let’s look at real examples from our schools:
Grade 6:
• 107 total students
• 19 are school choice
At approximately $5,000 per student, those 19 students generate:
19 × $5,000 = $95,000 in revenue
If we removed those students:
• We would still need the same number of teachers
• We would still run the same classrooms
• Heating, building, and transportation costs remain the same
Costs stay the same
We lose $95,000 in revenue
Grade 2:
• 86 total students
• 20 are school choice
20 × $5,000 = $100,000 in revenue
If we removed those students:
• We still need the same teachers
• We still operate the same classrooms
• Heating, building, and transportation costs remain the same
Costs stay the same
We lose $100,000 in revenue
Some may ask why we wouldn’t just reduce a teacher.
The reality is that staffing doesn’t work on small fluctuations. Students are spread across multiple classrooms, so removing 15–20 students typically does not eliminate a full class or teaching position because our class sizes are not that small.
To reduce a teacher, enrollment would need to drop enough to eliminate an entire classroom. Otherwise, costs remain largely the same, but the revenue from school choice is lost.
Also important:
• School choice students do not use Berkley-funded transportation
• Families are responsible for getting their children to and from school
Another way to think about this and one that maybe folks can relate to is as follows:
Imagine you’re already driving your child to soccer or other practice.
• You own the car
• You’re already paying for insurance
• You’re already making the trip
Now you pick up a few of their friends along the way.
Your major costs don’t change:
• You don’t buy a new car
• Your insurance doesn’t suddenly double
Maybe you use a little more gas, but the big costs stay the same.
Now imagine those families give you $20 each for the ride.
• You’re still making the same trip
• Your costs barely change
• But now you’re bringing in money to help offset what you’re already paying
If you stop giving those kids a ride:
• You don’t save much money
• You just lose the contribution
Now think about your home:
If you have five people living in your house versus two:
• Your mortgage stays the same
• Your heating stays the same
• Your biggest costs don’t change
You might spend more on groceries or smaller items, but your major costs remain fixed.
If those additional people contribute financially, it reduces your burden, it doesn’t increase it.
That’s how school choice works and why a majority of districts across the Commonwealth use it. In fact, most districts in Massachusetts participate in school choice and collectively bring in significant revenue through the program. It would not be widely used if it consistently resulted in financial loss. https://www.doe.mass.edu/finance/schoolchoice/choice2025.html
The bottom line is as follows.....
School choice:
• fills seats we already pay for at more than 80%. I cannot say 100% as that just would not be true and I want everyone to know the finer details.
• brings in close to $1 million in revenue annually
• helps support staff and operations
If we reduce school choice without eliminating entire classrooms:
• costs stay the same
• revenue decreases
• Berkley taxpayer burden increases
All of this data is publicly available and reviewed regularly. The schools are open to meeting with residents, answering questions, and walking through the numbers in detail for anyone looking for a deeper understanding.
School finance is complex and cannot be reduced to a single equation. If you have questions, I encourage you to attend a School Committee meeting or reach out directly to the Superintendent’s office to get the most accurate and complete information.
The goal of the Massachusetts public K-12 education system is to prepare all students for success after high school. Massachusetts public school students are leading the nation in reading and math and are at the top internationally in reading, science, and math according to the national NAEP and int...
