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February 7, 2010

Dalton school board mulls tuition hike

Rachel Brown

Dalton Board of Education members are scheduled to set a tuition rate for out-of-district students tonight.

Board members have discussed raising the rate from $855 for the first child to as much as $1,368, though they are considering several options. The subject came up for discussion several months ago when officials revised their procedures for placing students in schools other than the one they were zoned for.

The school system’s policy states the tuition amount is set annually and “is based upon what an average Dalton taxpayer would pay in local school taxes for a residence in the district.” Board members haven’t considered changing the amount since 2005, board chairman Steve Williams said, and costs have increased since then.

Superintendent Jim Hawkins said a few employees recently expressed concern about giving an extra benefit to some employees when they’re expecting budget cuts. Benefits are generally supposed to be the same for all employees, he added, but providing free tuition would allow some teachers to reap additional benefits because they live outside the school district.

In previous discussions, Hawkins asked the board to consider giving employees a better rate than non-employees. He did not make a recommendation on Friday, the last time he publicly discussed the issue with the board.

Employees currently pay $648 in tuition for the first child, with additional breaks for more children. Officials said tuition was $648 for all out-of-district students before it increased to $855 in 2005. The board at that time voted not to raise the amount for employees.

Board member Rick Fromm said he wants students of all Dalton Public Schools employees to be considered out-of-zone rather than out-of-district when they want to change schools. Out-of-zone students live within the Dalton district and do not pay tuition.

Board member Tulley Johnson said he favors raising the tuition gradually if the board votes to increase it by a large amount.

The board work session begins at 5:30 p.m. and the regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. at 100 S. Hamilton St. on Monday.

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