Worthington schools are holding off tuition payments for the all-day kindergarten program -- for now.

 

The district still plans to collect the monthly $210 for its "K+" program but is waiting for clarification as legislators work on a bill that would allow schools to charge for the program, Superintendent Melissa Conrath told board members last night. She said the district hopes to collect it retroactively.

The decision comes just days after Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann said public school districts cannot charge parents for all-day programs, stating that school districts, by law, have to provide free education to all children.

But Ohio Department of Education officials recently met with Sen. Steve Stivers, R-Columbus, on a bill that would allow districts that don't receive federal poverty-based dollars for all-day kindergarten programs to charge tuition on a sliding income scale, said Karla Carruthers, department spokeswoman.

Worthington currently charges tuition on a sliding income scale for its K+ option at each of its 11 elementary schools, said Mark Glasbrenner, director of elementary education.

More than half of the district's 702 kindergartners are enrolled in the K+ program. The district receives $600,000 annually in all-day tuition.

"This program is an integral part of the success of our kids," board member David Bressman said.

About 70 percent of Ohio school districts offer all-day kindergarten; a majority offer it by charging tuition or funding it locally.

The state mandates half-day kindergarten programs and pays toward that cost. Districts such as Columbus and Groveport Madison get poverty-based dollars to pay for full-day programs.

Some districts absorb the cost of such programs, but other districts, such as Worthington, charge a fee.

Forty-seven parents in Grandview Heights pay $275 monthly for the full-day kindergarten program. The district is weighing its options, spokeswoman Cathryn Chellis said.

Officials at Marysville are doing the same with that district's new all-day kindergarten, which started this year. Forty-four students enrolled, and parents pay $225 a month.

Conrath also addressed another opinion by the attorney general on Metro High School, a public math, science, engineering and technology school in partnership with Franklin County school districts, Battelle and Ohio State University. He said last month that public schools don't have the authority to charge tuition. Dublin, Grandview and Worthington require families to pay to attend Metro.

Conrath said district officials are working with the Metro school to provide in-kind services to support what remains of the $6,200 annual tuition for the four Worthington students attending the school this year.

Possible solutions include sharing resources, such as teacher training with Metro teachers, or student-intervention programs with Metro students.

District officials said they hope to come up with a long-term solution by December.

Dispatch reporters Mary Beth Lane, Josh Jarman, Dana Wilson and Holly Zachariah contributed to this story.

cboss@dispatch.com