School board will charge out-of-district fee
BONNERS FERRY — The Boundary County School Board will begin charging students who live in care facilities a $400 a month out-of-district fee to attend district schools.
The board voted on the change at its Jan. 14 board meeting.
A March 2013 Idaho legislative amendment to Idaho code 33-1002B allows for the change.
The new wording of the law, which governs tuition for Idaho schools, says students from outside the state living in licensed public or private residential facilities can’t be counted in school attendance reports.
These reports determine the funding for schools on a per-student basis. Boundary County schools have not received any money for a dozen students from local care facilities since the school year started.
The school board had shelved the issue since the beginning of the school year due to its controversial nature.
Four local students have already been pulled from Idaho schools over the issue. Other local care facilities are seriously thinking about closing their doors, or moving to other states, such as Montana, which don’t charge these fees.
The Boundary County School Board is sympathetic to the plight of these facilities.
The board decided to pro-rate the fee for partial months.
The fee is short of the full amount lost by the district and won’t take effect until the second semester begins.
Board vice-chairman David Brinkman recused himself from the decision due to conflict of interest. Brinkman runs Brinkman House, one of the local facilities that will be affected by the law.
John and Julia Schrom, who run Schrom Boys’ Home, questioned the legality of the new law.
“We feel like we’re being targeted,” they said. The Schroms have three properties in Idaho they pay taxes on. School funding comes from the Idaho general budget, which is funded primarily by property tax, sales tax and income tax.
“We spend $3,000 a month in groceries alone,” said Julia Schrom. They spend around $100,000 annually in Bonners Ferry, she said.
The Schroms like to spend their money locally because of the support the community has given them. This will change if the Schroms move their boys’ home out of state. “This has already stopped us from bringing in new students,” they said.
While many are under the impression the kids in these homes come from rich families, that isn’t always the case, said Julia Schrom. “We vet our kids very carefully,” she said. Some families have spent everything they have to send their boys to the Schroms.
The only way to change the law now is by petition or lawsuit.
Representatives for the care facilities urged board members to delay the decision pending a visit to state officials, but Trustee Mike Weland said the decision had been put off too long.
“It’s not fair,” he said, adding thatthe board is stuck with making one of two difficult choices.
Weland suggested a $250 per month fee but, facing a budget shortfall already, the board decided on the $400 fee. This is short of the $563.23 the state recommends but all funds will go directly to the Boundary County school district. The fee will be billed monthly to the facilities involved.