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District to pilot limited tuition seats for nonresident K–5 students in 2025–26; draft rate $7,883
Summary
Superintendent Gina Whitaker told the board the district will begin a measured rollout of tuition-based enrollment for K–2 and 3–5 for the 2025–26 school year. Finance staff estimated a per-student tuition rate of $7,883; a preliminary opening of roughly 60 seats could yield about $473,000 if filled.
City Schools of Decatur will pilot tuition-based enrollment in selected K–2 and 3–5 schools for the 2025–26 school year, the superintendent said at the Feb. 11 meeting. The pilot is intended to add alternative revenue while keeping class sizes and staffing ratios within board-approved guidelines.
How it would work: The district will finalize the number of tuition seats by school and grade, publish the tuition fee schedule in March, open applications in April, run a lottery/selection process in May (if demand exceeds seats), and notify successful applicants in June. The district will avoid creating new classes solely to accommodate tuition students; the initial effort is to "round out" existing classes where capacity exists.
Cost and fiscal example: CFO Lonita Broom calculated a preliminary tuition rate of $7,883 per student for FY2026, up from the current-year tuition of $6,860. With an initial estimate of about 60 seats across K–2 and 3–5, the district estimated potential tuition receipts of roughly $472,980 (if all seats filled). Additional state funding (QBE) earned on those students will vary with program placement (special education, gifted, etc.).
Equity and process safeguards: Staff said the district will develop an admissions policy, including a lottery process for oversubscription and established eligibility criteria. The board emphasized that special-education needs and after-school program impacts will be considered in final design.
Next steps: Draft admission policies will be presented for first read; staff will publish seat counts and the fee schedule in March and perform the selection process in May.
