Archive for February 5th, 2009
Resident and Current Tuition Students Only
February 5th, 2009
At last night’s BOE meeting, we decided to stop accepting new tuition students while we review our policy and consider increasing our tuition significantly or disallowing non-resident students all together. If your child already attends as a tuition student, we will work hard to maintain that relationship. We will also continue to honor a Board action from August 18, 1993 that allows the children of Randolph Central School Employees to be eligible to attend tuition free.
Previously, non-resident families who wished to enroll children in the School System submitted a request in writing to the superintendent, who determined whether or not the student(s) would be admitted. Non-resident families must provide their own transportation. Tuition may be charged to families of non-resident students and we do, but currently at a nominal rate of $250-500 annually. It’s also important that with any non-resident policy, we are non-discriminatory.
As I spend time every single day reading the headlines, attending state aide and other financial planning meetings, I become more and more concerned about the next several years. The financial stimulus package may help, but I’m not holding my breath. We already know that about 40% of that money, the construction portion, is money planned for the state–probably will be used to fund projects that are on-going–and we won’t benefit from it as any new money. As we look hard at every expenditure and determine what we can cut if necessary, we keep talking about it in levels, trying to anticipate the final state aide that we just won’t know for some time yet.
The first level, what’s in our budget now that can be consolidated and may be met in other ways? Second, what’s non-essential? Third, and I hope we don’t get there, what’s bare bones to operating? I’m hoping we don’t get past this first level, but I have to say that allowing non-resident students falls right in this category for me.
Every student has the right to attend the public school in the public school district in which he or she resides. In these tough times, we have to take care of our own resident students first and foremost.
