ST. CHARLES COUNTY • Francis Howell will charge Normandy more than $11,000 for each student who attends district schools this year, broken into 10 monthly payments, but there is still concern about what will happen if the bills go unpaid.
Although the state education department has set guidelines that say it will withhold funding to unaccredited districts that fail to pay the tuition, some in Francis Howell want more assurances.
The School Board on Thursday approved several policies related to the controversial student transfer law recently upheld by a high court. But the tuition policy did not specifically say what would happen if the district didn’t get the money. It could come down to a lawsuit, said Kevin Supple, Francis Howell’s chief financial officer.
“That would be our next course of action, civil action, to try to collect our unpaid debt,” Supple said.
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“If there’s nothing there, you can’t collect it,” said Mark Lafata, vice president of the school board.
It was the board’s first regular meeting since the news that Normandy students may be coming to Francis Howell schools. That development came after the state Supreme Court upheld a statute that says students in unaccredited districts have the right to attend better performing schools in adjoining counties. Their district of residence is required to pay tuition and transportation costs. Normandy chose to bus its students to Francis Howell; Riverview Gardens, the region’s other unaccredited district, picked Mehlville. Mehlville’s board meets next week to review similar policies.
Last week’s town hall meeting on the issue drew more than 2,500 people to the gym and auditorium at Francis Howell Central High School. Dozens voiced angry comments and concerns about the issue.
Just two people spoke on the transfer issue during the comment portion at Thursday’s meeting. Former Francis Howell School Board member Terry Black spoke to about 60 people who attended and asked them to view this as an opportunity.
“I urge our community to calm down a little,” he said. “Let’s get out of the way and let (teachers and administrators) use their God-given talents. The whole world is watching and we have an opportunity to show them what great neighbors we can be in Francis Howell.”
State Rep. Mark Parkinson, R-St. Charles County, was back to face the board after Lafata last week pointed fingers at him and other legislators to blame them for not fixing the law.
This time, Parkinson called out the board — all but one member — for not responding to his email about the issue. He held up a box of copies of legislation he plans to file when back in session that would add language to the law that would not require Francis Howell to enroll students who do not live in the district.
The board does have the ability to set class sizes, and did so Thursday night with averages not to exceed the desirable levels set by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. That means 20 students for kindergarten through second grade; 22 for grades three and four; 25 for grades five and six; and 28 students for grades seven through 12 (in core subjects).
Lower class sizes means fewer spots for transfer students. Critics say the state’s transfer law makes no mention of turning away students based on space, but districts say they are following guidelines from state education officials. The state issued those guidelines shortly after the state Supreme Court ruling and advised districts to set policies on class sizes. Those sizes — set between the state’s desirable and maximum levels — would then be used in determining space to enroll students from unaccredited districts.
Even with the low class sizes, the district estimates it has about 600 spots for student transfers this year.
As of Tuesday, 217 Normandy students have requested to transfer to Francis Howell, and 282 from Riverview Gardens want to go to Mehlville. Ritenour, Hazelwood, Ferguson-Florissant and Clayton are the other leading districts, with 70 to 80 transfer students each. Aug. 1 is the deadline to request a transfer.
“I know this is a very contentious time and a tough time for us as a school district. I’m convinced we will get through this,” Sloan said. “We have not had a lot of time to plan for the situation we’ve found ourselves in and with little voice. But we are committed to making it a good school year for everybody.”
