After input from the community in a public forum the Latta School Board of Trustees voted unanimously to collect tuition fees from non-resident students enrolled in the district’s schools consistent with S. C. State law and current school board policy.
The Trustees voted to set the tuition fee at $1000 per student with no discount for multiple children in a family. This is less than the fee could have been under S. C. State Law which would allow for a maximum of $1200 per student.
Information presented at the meeting revealed that the majority of school districts in the state do charge a non resident student tuition fee.
The fees in the Pee Dee Area range from a low of $900 per student in East Clarendon to a high of $5290 per student in Horry County. Latta would have one of the lowest fees in the state.
The board also voted to “grandfather” in all currently enrolled non-resident students for school year 2012-2013 only with the tuition fee waived, but those students would be assessed the tuition fee beginning in the school year 2013-2014.
The board further voted to charge the tuition fee to non resident students that are first time enrollees for the ensuing school year of 2012-2013. So any non-resident student enrolling in Latta Schools for the first time this year will have to pay the tuition fee.
The board also approved the tuition fee to be collected in full for each student prior to any enrollment in the schools.
They directed the administration to establish an appropriate payment deadline in each summer prior to the beginning of school.
Administration has set the payment timeline to begin accepting payment the first Monday in July and the final deadline for payment to be the second Monday in August.
The board also voted to exempt the tuition fee from non-resident students whose parent(s) is a staff member of the school district. Information at the public hearing also revealed that of the 174 non resident students attending the Latta Schools, 41 are staff member children.
Any non-resident student who personally owns property in the Latta School District would have the local school tax portion of the tax bill deducted from the tuition fee costs consistent with S.C. State law. Any parent of a non-resident student who owns property in the Latta School District would not be exempt from the tuition fee.
The Latta Board also reaffirmed that if circumstances change in that the local portion of school tax funds would follow the child again as it has in the past, the tuition fee would not be necessary.
It also reaffirmed that if any proposed state law passes that the state would pay such funds, the tuition fee would also not be necessary. That type of legislation known as the “School Choice Bill” was discussed in the S.C. Senate recently but has not passed so far. The Trustees encourage all parents to contact legislators to support this bill.
Why Is The Tuition Charge Necessary?
Recent state funding cuts have reduced the potential annual state revenues by approximately $1,280,000. Recent federal cuts have also reduced the potential annual federal revenues by approximately $150,000. Recent changes to how the county local funds are shared reduced the district’s annual local revenues by approximately $320,000. Total annual reductions are approximately $1,750,000 or about 20% of the district’s potential budget each year. Needless to say this is a huge cut and current state law limits schools as to raising local taxes to recoup revenue reductions. However, state law does allow the district to assess tuition costs to out-of-district students. Currently the district receive no local school tax revenue for out-of-district students.
