School board sets out-of-district tuition and policy; per-student fee estimated at $4,500

By SUZANNE MARINO
Staff Writer
MARGATE – At the suggestion of the Citizens’ Long-term Planning Committee the school district was encouraged to counter declining enrollment with an aggressive campaign to bring in tuition-paying students from outside of Margate.
District Superintendent Dominick Potena said the district would use a sliding scale for families who wish to send more than one member to Margate schools. But even while seeking students, the Board of Education was crafting a new policy for any out-of-district students who would like to attend school here. The board approved that policy at its April 10 meeting.
The new policy approved Monday states that future residents of Margate who have signed a contract to establish residency in the community may be enrolled in the district for sixty days prior to actually becoming a resident without paying tuition. Children of residents who move out of the district after April 30 of the school year are permitted to complete the school year without paying tuition.
The Margate Board of Education will accept students residing in Longport upon the request of the Longport Board of Education.
Other nonresident students in grades pre-k through eighth grade may be considered as tuition students at a reduced rate as determined by the Board of Education. According to Potena, that rate is $4,500 per student. There is no discount for multiple children from one family attending the schools.
Children of staff members in the Margate Schools will be permitted to attend Margate Schools at a discounted rate to be established by the board.
The Board of Education established criteria for acceptance of nonresident students.
First, acceptance will depend on the size of the class in which the nonresident student may be placed. Potena said that each case will be evaluated on an individual basis. Students would be accepted into those classrooms that have space available and in which no additional cost would be borne by the district to educate the student. Parents who voiced concern that Margate might be inviting discipline problems by taking students from outside the district should be relieved by one aspect of the policy. It dictates that only students who have a maintained a 3.0 grade-point average and who have no serious disciplinary marks (i.e., suspension from school for a discipline-related issue) will be considered.
The child study team will have an opportunity to weigh in on granting acceptance, as students will be subjected to a screening process, and parents will be interviewed as well.
Parents applying for a child to attend Margate Schools as a nonresident will be informed of the board’s decision by Sept.1 or Dec. 31 of that semester and any recommendations from the child study team would be shared with the Board of Education prior to acceptance.
Tuition payment must be made by Sept. 1 or pro-rated if the student arrives after the start of classes. Transportation of the student is the responsibility of the parent or guardian. Contracts are for one year, and the Board of Education may deny acceptance at its discretion. Any student who claims to be living in Margate and is subsequently found to be living outside Margate will be denied the option of attending as a tuition student for that school year.
Potena said this is the first and primary response to the Long-Term Planning Committee suggestion to encourage out-of-district students. He added that the clamor over enrollment and monitoring student population via a capacity study would be counter-productive.
“If we are looking to bring in tuition-paying students, a study to determine if we should close a school gives potential families the wrong message. We will do a study, but I do not think this is the proper time right now,” Potena said.
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