JACKSON, Wyo. — During an April 12 Teton County School District (TCSD) #1 Board of Trustees meeting, Superintendant Gillian Chapman presented policy edits on student admission regulations and out-of-county enrollment.
“I want to make sure that for the families that live in Teton County, their children are in schools that aren’t crowded,” Chapman said during the meeting. “And if we have space available we are happy to take out-of-county residents but we can not take out-of-state residents without an application submitted and tuition paid.”
According to the current student admission regulation, admission may be denied to any child who is an out-of-state resident who has not paid tuition or cannot show that they reside with a parent or court-appointed guardian within the school district.
Out-of-state tuition to Teton County School District is approximately $20,000 per student, per year.
Chapman proposed the addition of a deed or lease agreement as an acceptable proof of residency document. A property tax bill and/or a utility bill are the other two acceptable documents. Students only need to provide one of the acceptable documents.
Currently, the district allows for the admission of out-of-county enrollment only if there is space available. Students who are accepted must maintain a 2.0 GPA, a 95 percent attendance record and an “acceptable discipline record.”
Four items were discussed by the board and added to the “admission of non-resident students” draft policy:
- If residency cannot be verified, a non-resident will be required to un-enroll and enroll in school within the county the student resides.
- If a parent/guardian makes false claims regarding Wyoming or Teton County residency or fails to submit verification of Wyoming residency, the parent/guardian shall be liable for the full tuition as an out-of-state request. An application for an out-of-area admittance must be completed and approved or [a student must] enroll in the state/county in which the student resides.
- If a Teton County resident permits the use of their address for enrollment purposes of a non-resident, the resident may be liable for tuition payment.
- Requests to enroll for an out-of-county or out-of-state admission must be completed annually.
“Because we are near a state line and because we are a community where many people are commuting to work here because of the cost of living, I understand completely that families want their children in schools near their employment, so they are not driving back and forth,” Chapman said. “However, we have a number of issues at times where families may not understand the policy or are perhaps unclear that we have procedures.”
The Board will consider the second reading of the policy at the June meeting. The public can comment on the policy at schoolboard@tcsd.org.
At the May 10 Board meeting, three community members submitted public comments via email, supporting the policy changes and citing concerns over property taxes. Chapman also announced the hiring of Bennett Lieberman as the new Jackson Hole High School principal. Lieberman will replace Dr. Scott Crisp who will serve as the assistant superintendent, effective July 1.
The policy updates are available here.
