The District of Columbia’s troubled “nonpublic” tuition program overspent its budget by 70 percent — paying out $59 million more than expected in fiscal 2007 — and city officials are scrambling to pull money from other programs to close the gap, The Examiner has learned.

Then-schools chief Clifford B. Janey Jr. budgeted $86 million to send special education students to outside schools in fiscal 2007. According to budget records, officials actually spent $145 million.