Board considers reinstating nonresident-student tuition policy; administration to refine details
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Summary
The board reviewed a proposed revision to policy JBCD to require out-of-county students to apply and generally charge tuition (with exceptions), returning the policy to a form similar to pre-2010 practice; staff will fine-tune administrative regulations (including tuition amount) and continue review.
District staff presented proposed revisions to policy JBCD governing nonresident students and discussed restoring a tuition requirement for out-of-county attendees.
The draft policy would require nonresident students (those whose families live outside the district) to apply and would permit the district to charge tuition. Exemptions in the draft include cases where a student’s parent is employed by the school district or where superintendent discretion is applied for unique circumstances. The superintendent said the change would return the district to how it operated before about 2010, when the tuition requirement had been removed.
Staff said they would not include a dollar amount in the policy itself; instead the tuition level would be set via administrative regulation. Board members discussed potential tuition ranges, noting practices in other Georgia districts that range from about $1,200 to $7,000 annually, with many districts near $3,000. A staff member said the board had discussed $1,500 as a possible starting point but recommended setting the precise amount administratively to allow flexibility.
The board did not approve the policy at the work session and will consider refined language and administrative regulations in a subsequent meeting. Staff noted that current nonresident students would be grandfathered and not charged tuition.
Ending: The policy will return for further review; staff will draft administrative regulations to define tuition and enrollment procedures if the board moves forward.
