ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, June 15, 1996 TAG: 9606170068
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
Roanoke County will begin charging $500 tuition for students from surrounding communities to attend its schools because of the large number of applications from nonresidents.
Under a policy adopted Thursday night by the School Board, nonresident students who are already enrolled in county schools will be allowed to finish their school careers without having to pay the higher charge. They can remain in the schools if they continue to pay the $100 annual registration fee that has been required of nonresident students for many years. But the higher charge will be imposed for all new students from outside the county beginning this fall.
The School Board voted to approve the tuition because some taxpayers have complained that it's unfair for nonresident students to attend without paying real estate taxes in the county. Some board members are also concerned about the increasing number of nonresidents in county schools.
About 750 students - nearly 5.5 percent of the enrollment of 13,750 - commute from other jurisdictions to attend county schools. At William Byrd Middle School, 10 percent of the students come from outside the county. At William Byrd High and Northside Middle schools, the figure is almost 9 percent, and at Northside High, it's 8 percent.
Board Vice Chairman Michael Stovall said some of his constituents in the Vinton District are upset that so many students from Bedford County attend Roanoke County schools, but have lower tax bills. The real estate tax on a $100,000 house in Bedford County is $440 - less than half of Roanoke County's tax of $1,130 on a similar house.
"It's tough when you hear what people say about it. They don't think it's fair," Stovall said.
But Marion Roark, board member for the Catawba District, said she is worried the tuition could cause county schools to lose a substantial amount of state aid if there is a significant decrease in nonresidents.
"I know there are reasons to support the tuition charge, but I fear we will risk losing a lot of state money," Roark said. "I worry that it could affect the quality of education in the county."
The county 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. School officials said they come out ahead because they receive more in state aid than it costs to accommodate the additional students.
But Tom Leggette, board member from the Windsor Hills District, said the $500 tuition won't necessarily cause the county to lose nonresident students. Many parents from outside Roanoke County might be willing to pay the tuition for their children to attend county schools, he said.
"We won't know what will happen until we try it," Leggette said.
Board Chairman Jerry Canada joined Stovall and Leggette in voting for the tuition charge. "I can support this, because it won't penalize the students who are already in our school system," he said.
But William Irvin, the board member from the Cave Spring District, sided with Roark in opposing it.
The board's decision apparently won't have a major effect immediately because the county has been accepting fewer than 100 new nonresidents a year due to space limitations at many schools. But there could be a long-term impact if nonresident students do not replace those who graduate.
Neither Roanoke nor Salem charges tuition for nonresidents. Roanoke has a $25 registration fee for about 350 students from surrounding localities who attend its magnet schools. The city tries to attract white students from other jurisdictions to help it achieve racial balance.
Salem accepts students from other localities for a $100 registration fee. About 340 nonresident students attended Salem schools this past year.
Bedford County does not accept students from other localities unless they plan to move to the county. Bedford County officials said they prefer that students go to school where they live.
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