ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, April 14, 1996 TAG: 9604150114
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
MANY ROANOKE COUNTY RESIDENTS want to charge $500 tuition to students from surrounding communities who attend their schools.
William Byrd Middle School is in Roanoke County, but one out of every 10 students at the school lives outside the county.
Many students come from Bedford County, where the real estate taxes on a $100,000 house are $440 - less than half Roanoke County's tax of $1,130 on a similar house.
A Bedford County student pays Roanoke County a $100 registration fee to attend William Byrd Middle, but there is no tuition charge, and the student receives the same education as those who live in Roanoke County.
That might change because of the flood of applications from students from other localities who want to attend Roanoke County schools.
School Board member Michael Stovall said he is thinking of proposing that the county begin charging $500 tuition for each child.
Stovall, who represents the Vinton District, said some of his constituents are upset about the large number of students from outside the county. They believe the schools should charge tuition for nonresidents who don't pay real estate taxes to Roanoke County - and have lower tax bills in their home localities.
At William Byrd High, about 9 percent of all students come from outside Roanoke County. At Northside High, the figure is 8 percent, and at Northside Middle, it's nearly 9 percent. There are fewer children from other localities in the crowded schools in Southwest County.
Still, 754 students - nearly 5.5 percent of the total enrollment of 13,750 - commute from other jurisdictions to attend Roanoke County schools.
Even more would do it if they could. Last year the county received new applications from 319 students in other localities, but only 108 were accepted.
Officials said it is a good deal for the county system. It receives $2,500 in state money for each student from outside the county - about $1.8 million this school year. The county receives the same amount of state aid for each student regardless of whether the student lives within the county. Next year, the state aid will rise to nearly $2,650 per student, and the county will receive nearly $2 million for students from other jurisdictions.
"We come out ahead on this. We get more in state aid than it costs us," said Jerry Hardy, director of budget and data management. School officials said they would be hard-pressed to make up the state money if most of the out-of-county students withdrew as a result of a $500 tuition charge being imposed.
State funds for education are provided to the locality where a student is enrolled. Bedford County, for example, loses the state aid for students that live within its boundaries but attend schools in Roanoke County.
Of 754 students from outside the county, 309 attend schools in the Vinton district. Superintendent Deanna Gordon said the county benefits financially from the open enrollment policy in the Roanoke Valley, but she, too, is concerned that William Byrd Middle and William Byrd High have more students from other localities than she would like.
School Board member Stovall said he is gathering data on the out-of-county students and the possible financial impact if the county imposes $500 tuition. He said he probably will ask the School Board to vote on the issue soon.
During the recent campaign on the defeated school bond referendum, some voters raised the nonresident issue during discussions of overcrowded schools. They questioned whether it is a factor in the overcrowding. If the county is squeezed for space, it should require students from outside the county to pay tuition, the voters said.
But Gordon said the nonresidents are not the reason for the overcrowding, and they do not cause an increase in school costs.
At Cave Spring High, there are 24 students from outside the county; at Cave Spring Junior, there are 11. No new nonresidents were accepted at either school this year. Those who have been attending the schools for several years were allowed to remain.
Gordon said the county accepts nonresidents only in cases where it has space. If out-of-county students will cause additional teachers, classes or costs at a school, they are not accepted, she said.
The county's average per-pupil cost is $5,575 this school year, but school officials said it doesn't cost anything extra for out-of-county students because the teachers are already being paid and other operating costs are not increased.
All three school divisions in the Roanoke Valley accept children from other localities when space is available.
Roanoke has about 350 students from other localities: most attend the city's magnet schools, which are federally funded programs designed to promote voluntary desegregation through innovative programming.
Students come to Roanoke's magnet schools from Bedford, Botetourt, Franklin, Montgomery and Roanoke counties. They are required to pay a $25 registration fee, but there are no other costs.
Gordon said the mostly white students from Roanoke County and other localities who attend the magnet schools help the city achieve more racial balance in its schools.
Salem has 340 students from other jurisdictions and attracts some top students from other school systems to its International Baccalaureate program.
Bedford County does not accept students from other localities unless they plan to move to the county.
"We prefer that students go to school where they live," said John Kent, the county's superintendent.
LENGTH: Long : 102 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: chart - Roanoke County Schools Nonresident Students.by CNBcolor STAFF