Metro School 'choice' means district taxpayers foot bill
By PAMELA WILLIS
Worthington school board members are mulling
over a Metro School funding fix to allow
current students to attend the alternative
school without local taxpayers picking up
the tab.
Board members discussed a letter sent to the Ohio Department of Education by Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann at their Sept. 10 board meeting.
In the letter, Dann stated "it was his opinion" that districts have no authority to charge tuition for students who attend the Metro High School, which is considered a public school.
The board approved student participation in the Metro School program last year, provided parents pay the tuition, which was about $5,800 annually per pupil. This year's tuition is $6,100.
Treasurer Jeff McCuen said the Metro School is not a charter school, at which, theoretically, state dollars follow the student. Rather, it is an "educational option."
Superintendent Melissa Conrath said the consortium that created the Metro School stated the tuition could be set by the Metro School itself, so the cost of the program could escalate each year.
McCuen said due to years of declining enrollment, the district is on a guarantee under the state funding formula. The guarantee means the district does not receive any less from the state than it received in the past year, but it also doesn't receive the whole amount of $5,565 per student.
"We increased enrollment by 100 students this year, but we will not receive any additional dollars from the state for those students because we are on the guarantee," McCuen said. "So any dollars that follow a student to another school are not all state dollars, but are comprised of local taxpayer dollars."
McCuen said charter schools and vocational schools are a parent's choice, and the district cannot opt out -- even if it loses money.
"The Metro School is an educational elective," McCuen said. "The attorney general has made his opinion known on what he thinks should happen, but there are differing opinions."
McCuen said he and Conrath have been talking to Metro School officials about the funding problem.
"We are working out a solution so that students can continue to participate in the Metro School without cost to Worthington taxpayers," he said.
Board member Marc Schare said Worthington also loses money when it sends a student to a charter school.
"The way the mechanism is supposed to work is that for each kid that goes to a charter school, the state adds one to our enrollment count, thereby increasing our state aid by $5,565, then turns around and deducts the $5,565 from us, so we are revenue neutral, because we don't have the kid and we don't have the money," he said.
"In Worthington, because we are on the state guarantee, we get nothing when the state adds one to our enrollment count, but the state still deducts the $5,565 when a kid goes to a charter school," he said. "This includes students taking advantage of autism scholarships, which is where we lose the bulk of these funds."
Schare said a proposal by the Ohio Department of Education to Gov. Ted Strickland suggested a change in the funding mechanism.
"The proposal would modify the mechanism so when a student goes to a charter school, the student is not counted in Worthington's enrollment and the state would not deduct the $5,565 from Worthington's state allocation," he said. "In other words, the money would go with the kid."
Schare said he has no objection to parents choosing alternative schools for their children.
"If it involves only state dollars and parents want to send kids to a different school, then that's fine," he said. "But as soon as local tax dollars are involved, I can't see sending those tax dollars out of the district."
"We are working out a solution so that students can continue to participate in the Metro School without cost to Worthington taxpayers."
Board members discussed a letter sent to the Ohio Department of Education by Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann at their Sept. 10 board meeting.
In the letter, Dann stated "it was his opinion" that districts have no authority to charge tuition for students who attend the Metro High School, which is considered a public school.
The board approved student participation in the Metro School program last year, provided parents pay the tuition, which was about $5,800 annually per pupil. This year's tuition is $6,100.
Six district students currently are enrolled at the Metro School, which is open to all Franklin County students.
Treasurer Jeff McCuen said the Metro School is not a charter school, at which, theoretically, state dollars follow the student. Rather, it is an "educational option."
Superintendent Melissa Conrath said the consortium that created the Metro School stated the tuition could be set by the Metro School itself, so the cost of the program could escalate each year.
McCuen said due to years of declining enrollment, the district is on a guarantee under the state funding formula. The guarantee means the district does not receive any less from the state than it received in the past year, but it also doesn't receive the whole amount of $5,565 per student.
"We increased enrollment by 100 students this year, but we will not receive any additional dollars from the state for those students because we are on the guarantee," McCuen said. "So any dollars that follow a student to another school are not all state dollars, but are comprised of local taxpayer dollars."
McCuen said charter schools and vocational schools are a parent's choice, and the district cannot opt out -- even if it loses money.
"The Metro School is an educational elective," McCuen said. "The attorney general has made his opinion known on what he thinks should happen, but there are differing opinions."
McCuen said he and Conrath have been talking to Metro School officials about the funding problem.
"We are working out a solution so that students can continue to participate in the Metro School without cost to Worthington taxpayers," he said.
Board member Marc Schare said Worthington also loses money when it sends a student to a charter school.
"The way the mechanism is supposed to work is that for each kid that goes to a charter school, the state adds one to our enrollment count, thereby increasing our state aid by $5,565, then turns around and deducts the $5,565 from us, so we are revenue neutral, because we don't have the kid and we don't have the money," he said.
"In Worthington, because we are on the state guarantee, we get nothing when the state adds one to our enrollment count, but the state still deducts the $5,565 when a kid goes to a charter school," he said. "This includes students taking advantage of autism scholarships, which is where we lose the bulk of these funds."
Schare said a proposal by the Ohio Department of Education to Gov. Ted Strickland suggested a change in the funding mechanism.
"The proposal would modify the mechanism so when a student goes to a charter school, the student is not counted in Worthington's enrollment and the state would not deduct the $5,565 from Worthington's state allocation," he said. "In other words, the money would go with the kid."
Schare said he has no objection to parents choosing alternative schools for their children.
"If it involves only state dollars and parents want to send kids to a different school, then that's fine," he said. "But as soon as local tax dollars are involved, I can't see sending those tax dollars out of the district."
"We are working out a solution so that students can continue to participate in the Metro School without cost to Worthington taxpayers."