« Ind. Decisions - Another NFP COA decision reclassified | Main | Ind. Courts - Yet more on "Lawyer ordered before judge on contempt issue" »

Friday, September 25, 2009

Ind. Gov't. - State funding now follows the student, and this makes a big difference

"More students are crossing district lines: Families take advantage of change in state law that slashed cost of attending another school" was the headline to this story by Andy Gammil in the August 31st Indianapolis Star. From the story:

The change came about because the state legislature shifted funding for public schools away from local property taxes. Previously, parents who sent their children to another district were required to pay thousands of dollars in tuition because they weren't paying taxes to support that district.

In Marion County alone, the numbers have more than doubled, from 200 students paying last year to attend city schools outside their home districts to more than 500 going to schools outside their home districts this year.

"I'm in favor of it," Steve Deardorff said, adding that his daughter is excited to be at a school with people interested in the arts. "It worked well for us."

Under the new system, some districts charge no tuition and others charge a few hundred dollars -- but nothing like the several thousand that used to be required everywhere.

A few districts -- such as Franklin Township, Speedway and Warren Township -- have decided to take no new transfer students. Others have ramped up their enrollment, admitting many more students.

Washington Township Schools increased its number of transfer students from 140 to 207, and the number in Wayne Township Schools went from 15 to 100.

Indianapolis Public Schools jumped from 10 out-of-district students in 2008-09 to 111 this year, many of those students at magnet schools focused on public policy, the arts or medicine.

Reducing barriers to transferring has raised concerns about schools recruiting for sports, orchestras or other programs, but districts said they haven't seen any issues arise -- yet.

Definitive numbers won't be available until later in the fall, but districts said it doesn't look as if there are big winners or losers. Rather, the transfers appear to be canceling each other out. * * *

John Ellis, director of the state superintendents association, said many parents don't yet know about the transfer option. He said there's still considerable confusion among schools, especially when it comes to how much to charge.

Interest could continue to grow, he said, as more people learn about the law, or it could plateau as parents realize they might still have to shell out $500 if the district is charging.

"Transferring school districts getting easier: Cost of switching less expensive in Indiana now" was the headline to this long story by Kim Kilbride in the Sept. 21st South Bend Tribune. Some quotes:
When Rebecca and Michael Dube and their three kids left the city of Mishawaka for a larger house in the nearby suburbs about a year ago, their oldest daughter, Cailin Passmore, transferred out of Mishawaka schools.

Right away, Rebecca said, they missed the rapport with the teachers they'd had at Battell Elementary School, as well as the range of free extracurricular activities that are available there.

"We'd always liked Mishawaka schools and I wanted to get back to them," she said. "But I didn't know how tuition worked."

When she inquired about the cost of transferring Cailin back to Mishawaka, Dube said she was shocked to learn that it used to cost almost $6,000 a year.

"My jaw about dropped," she said.

But she was equally as excited that the price had fallen — beginning this school year — to $790 annually.

The Dubes were happy to pay that amount for Cailin to transfer to Twin Branch in Mishawaka, which is closer to their new house than Battell, and for her little sister, Brenna Dube, to start kindergarten this school year at Twin Branch, as well.

Thanks to a recent change in the way public schools in Indiana are funded, school districts that have chosen to open their doors to students in neighboring districts now are able to offer significantly lower tuition rates to those families

That's because state funding now follows the student.

So, rather than pay some $6,000 annually to send students to a public school in a nearby district, parents in this area are now paying anywhere from $200 to $1,000.

The reduced amount that's still the parents' responsibility, said Gregg Hixenbaugh, director of human resources and legal counsel for School City of Mishawaka, is related to local property taxes and is the portion that's not picked up by the state. * * *

But not every student who applied for admission was accepted.

Each application is scrutinized, Hixenbaugh said, to ensure that the student is in good standing in terms of academics, discipline and attendance at the school they're transferring from.

Furthermore, he said, students may not transfer for athletic reasons, and families must provide their own transportation.

Those who were accepted will be evaluated each year, he said, to ensure they're doing acceptably in Mishawaka schools.

It also will be necessary to ensure each year that the schools have the capacity for the extra students, he said.

What's more, since this reduced-rate transfer tuition option is brand new, he said, it won't be known until next year the exact amount of tuition that will end up being each family's financial responsibility.

That means, parents may end up owing money next year. Or, they may be eligible for refunds, he said.

As far as families who live in School City of Mishawaka's boundaries using the new option to transfer students out of the district, Hixenbaugh said, there have only been two.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on September 25, 2009 01:26 PM
Posted to Indiana Government