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[POLL] Should Schools Accept Out-Of-District Students For A Fee?

The Barrington School Committee is considering accepting 10 such students next year, for tuition of $12,800 per pupil.

 

The Barrington School Committee made a splash earlier this week when they said the School Department would accept out-of-district students willing to pay $12,800 a year to attend Barrington schools. They have since stepped back a bit, but with ever-tightening school budgets, we wondered what people in Narragansett would think of such a proposal here.

“We’re looking at new sources of revenue,” said Barrington Supt. Robert McIntyre in a story on the topic in Thursday's Providence Journal. “This is new. It’s different. It’s an opportunity for us.”

Two things drove the decision, the ProJo reported, the need to raise more revenue and a decline in enrollment.

As reported by RI Future, however, there could be legal hurdles to such a plan.

“They’d be smart to get a legal opinion first,” said state Department of Ed's Elliott Krieger told RI Future. “We’re concerned with the equity and access of all students in general.”

On Friday, Barrington Patch reported the school department will shelve the idea unless the tuition it charges covers the cost of educating those kids.

In the past, the Jamestown School District has flirted with sending students to Narragansett, as opposed to North Kingstown. However, that has never advanced beyond the discussion stage.

Vote in the poll below and weigh in in the comments section.

  • Should Narragansett or South Kingstown accept out-of-district students?

    (Voting has been closed for this question)
    • Yes - If someone is willing to pay, let them transfer.
        11 (57%)
    • Yes - But only if it makes geographic sense.
        0 (0%)
    • Yes - But only if it's program related.
        2 (10%)
    • No - Focus on improving their home school district.
        6 (31%)
    Total votes: 19
  • Your vote will only count once. This is not a scientific poll. View Results Vote!
Related Topics: Barrington High School, Jamestown School District, Narragansett High School, and Narragansett school district

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