Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Admissions topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board reviews draft policies to reintroduce nonresident paid tuition and courtesy tuition
Summary
City Schools of Decatur officials presented two draft policies — a revised JBC (school admissions) and a proposed JBCB (nonresident students) — to govern courtesy tuition for employees and paid nonresident tuition, prompting questions about enrollment priority, grade bands and transportation.
The City Schools of Decatur Board of Education on Tuesday discussed draft revisions to the district’s student admissions code that would reintroduce paid nonresident tuition and formalize “courtesy tuition” for employees.
What was presented: Amanda Lynch, chief of staff, told the Board staff propose to split the current admissions language so that policy JBC focuses on standard age/residency admissions and a new policy, JBCB, would address nonresident students and courtesy tuition. Highlights of the proposed JBCB draft included: - Definitions separating “courtesy tuition” (an employee benefit) from “nonresident paid tuition.” - Annual application and annual determination for both categories, subject to space and program availability. - Courtesy tuition eligibility proposed for employees who work at least 0.8 FTE; if an employee separates from service the family would be required to apply as paid nonresident tuition to continue enrollment. - Nonresident paid tuition rates to be set by law and collected in advance; falsified information would trigger immediate withdrawal and forfeiture of tuition. - A superintendent‑level regulation would set procedures and a priority method for enrollment.
Board concerns and clarifications: Members pressed for clarity on several operational points that Lynch and staff recommended be handled in regulation rather than policy. Specific topics discussed included: - Priority when demand exceeds space: staff said courtesy tuition would take precedence over paid tuition (consistent with past practice) and suggested making that clear in regulation. - Grade‑band limits and cohort continuity: board members asked whether the district should limit eligibility by grade band (for example only K–5 in Year 1); staff recommended leaving that to annually updated regulations and highlighted the importance of a process to consider students aging through cohorts so children are not forced to change schools mid‑path. - Transportation and extracurricular eligibility: the draft states nonresident students would not be eligible for district transportation to and from school; board members asked whether transportation for athletics/events would be permitted (staff said nonresident students would not ride regular buses to and from school but noted athletic eligibility rules under Georgia High School Association could apply and that those details would be linked in accompanying regulations). - Cost and “fully loaded” tuition: some members asked staff to calculate the full per‑student cost (including nutrition, transportation and other services) so tuition levels match district expenses.
Next steps: Lynch said the draft policies are an initial presentation for board feedback and will be revised before a scheduled first read next month. Staff indicated most operational details, including grade bands, priority processes, and athletic eligibility details, would be built into the accompanying regulation and administrative procedures.
Ending: The Board gave input and asked staff to return with a revised draft and regulation language clarifying priority rules and the enrollment/continuity process; no formal vote was taken during the prework session.
