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Board reviews scholarship, homeschool course-fee policy; staff to provide counts and procedures
Summary
Polk County staff presented a draft policy allowing the district to recoup full-time equivalent (FTE) funding when students in state scholarship programs take district classes, and said procedures will define fees for scholarship and homeschool students taking district courses.
Polk County School District staff on Feb. 25 briefed the school board on a proposed policy (Policy 92‑71) intended to implement recent legislative changes affecting students who receive state scholarships and students who take district courses while homeschooled.
Teresa Griffin, assistant director for policy and public records, told the board the policy "is in response to legislative changes" and would allow the district to recoup FTE funding for students enrolled in state scholarship programs — for example the Family Empowerment Scholarship — who still take courses with Polk County schools.
Board members asked for additional data and clarifications. Miss White asked whether the district’s fee approach would apply to homeschool students who take up to three district classes under the student-progression plan. Griffin said procedures will include a fee guide: "There will be a fee structure for both. They will be the same, but we are treating them as two different groups." She added the policy will include carve-outs for scholarship students.
Board members sought counts of affected students. Superintendent Hyde told the board staff had identified roughly 750 scholarship students taking at least one class through the district and that the district was still verifying how many take two or more classes without paying fees. Hyde said homeschooled students currently may take up to three district classes but that the district does not receive FTE for those students.
The district did not adopt policy at the meeting. Staff said the board will receive additional procedures and data, including a course-level breakdown and a report on how many scholarship and homeschool students use district classes, in a later workshop.
Why it matters: the draft clarifies how Polk County will treat students who participate in state scholarship programs or who are homeschooled but use district courses. The fee and procedural details will affect families and district revenue calculations.
Board members requested that staff provide counts and a course-by-course breakdown to inform final procedures and any fee schedule.
