Poster's note: This article is in my local paper this morning. I am posting it to contrast the treatment of legal citizens and illegal immigrants. The schools referenced are in Columbus GA.which is separated from Alabama by the Chattahoochee River.


Unauthorized students in schools
Problem of unpaid non-resident students hard to stop
BY HARRY FRANKLIN

hfranklin@ledger-enquirer.com--Â*--

If you live in Alabama or another state and want your child to attend public schools in Columbus, it's going to cost you $7,798 a year -- if the Muscogee County School District accepts the application.

Harris County School District doesn't accept students living out of state except for children of teachers and other employees.

The fee is high in Columbus for out-of-state students because Georgia provides no funds to educate students living in other states.

Students who live in Georgia but not in Columbus can apply for admission. If accepted, they will be assigned to a school, but it may not be the school they prefer, said Jennifer Allen, director of student services for the Muscogee district.

"We don't accept out-of-county students at schools like Northside and Shaw High Schools due to overcrowding," Allen said Friday. "We may have a few that move into Harris County and are seniors. We may look at that."

The annual out-of-county fee for students attending Columbus schools is $2,185, substantially lower than the $3,000 Harris County Schools Superintendent Susan Andrews said Harris charges per student.

Allen furnished data showing that 72 out-of-county students are in Columbus public schools who should be paying tuition. Of those, 52 have paid and the rest are in a two-week grace period. At the end of that time, a semester payment must be made or the students will be withdrawn.

Hard to prove

Sixteen out-of-state students also are in Columbus schools who should pay tuition, Allen said. That would generate $124,768 in income for the school district in one year. Two have paid and the rest are in the two-week grace period. Those students will also be withdrawn unless a semester payment is made at the end of the grace period.

"We are always gratified that Muscogee schools are viewed as so desirable," said Muscogee Deputy Superintendent Robin Pennock. "We do keep firmly in mind the fact that Muscogee taxpayers pay over and above what we receive from the state and thus we do charge for the privilege of attending if someone is out of district. We also track our numbers carefully to be sure that we never burden an already overcrowded school."

Figures were not yet available on the number of out-of-county students attending Harris schools, but at the end of last year, Andrews said it was 51. Tuition last year was $2,700 for those students. That would have generated $137,700 for a full year. This year's numbers will be in the district's 20-day report.

What is difficult for both districts is to identify and prove that out-of-county students are attending schools, but not paying the fees.

"Almost daily we get reports of out-of-county students who are here," Andrews said. "Did they pay tuition or not, or is this report accurate or not? I'd say about 50 percent of the reported abuses are correct. Any time students are here without paying tuition, that's costing Harris County money. I'd say it's less than 1 percent. Still, you want them to pay."

Contact Harry Franklin at 706-571-8521


http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/story/121644.html