NEWBURYPORT — After previously halting the influx of school-choice students to city schools, the district is considering opening up some room.
City schools will welcome 18 new students from out of district this fall, surpassing its budgeted goal of 15 choice students in grades six, seven and nine. But school officials had hoped to receive 25 students in total, so the School Committee voted this week to take in students at other grade levels if necessary, in order to reach that number.
The 25 students would bring with them about $125,000 from their home districts, though the profitability of educating those students is widely debated and different for each school district.
This year, it was decided the total number of new students would only be sought up to the stated goal of 25, in response to committee member Bruce Menin's concern that the district not be overwhelmed. Newburyport was serving 173 students from out of district on Oct. 1, 2007.
"I'm concerned that it's not going to be an incremental opening, that we're going to be flooded," Menin said.
The motion was proposed by committee member Nick deKanter and embraced by Superintendent Kevin Lyons with his promise to consult the committee prior to making any final decisions. He further explained there are some classes with lower than average populations, and if he were to seek new students, it would be at those grade levels.
"We would not have anything (open) below grade six," Lyons said. "We'd be talking maybe 10th grade, if at all."
Newburyport did not take in any new choice students last year due to a massive district reconfiguration that saw major changes at four of the five district schools. While many districts see it as a chance to bring money into the district, Lyons felt it was not cost-effective for the district due to its crowded school buildings.
Under state guidelines, the student's home district pays $5,000 to the host district (more for special-needs students), an amount some districts see as a profit if they have an open seat in a classroom.
But the large population of choice students in Newburyport prompted Lyons to fear that additional facilities and teachers would be needed to accommodate the choice students in the long term, meaning additional expenses would come with them.
Nineteen of the 173 students in the district last October graduated in the spring, making room for some new students. As of today, Lyons said, 11 of the 18 new students are coming into ninth grade — which is viewed as the most natural entry point given many out-of-district students are coming up from the River Valley Charter School and want to continue their education in Newburyport.
"We have plenty of room for grades six and seven," Lyons said. "Grade nine is maybe exceeding what we were looking for here, but it would appear we have openings in grade 10, for instance."
Committee member Stephanie Weaver supported the proposed increase but suggested care be taken to properly inform the public of any new choice opportunities.
"How do we let the public know in a fair manner that this is open and this is how you apply?" she asked.
Lyons would like to see the $5,000 amount passed to the host district increased for towns like Newburyport that take in more students than they send out. He explained the state views the process as the filling of an otherwise empty seat, so it pays well under the real cost of educating that child.
"It's not enough," Lyons said.
Efforts are underway to raise that figure, he said. But until that happens, the administration is welcoming its new choice students with open arms.
"Numbers have gone up since the June meeting, so that's good news," he told the committee.
