A. General Education Students
General Education students not eligible to attend Worcester County Schools by reason of their parents' domicile, but who desire to attend Worcester County Schools and who are granted permission to attend by the Superintendent, must pay tuition as follows.
Maryland Residents
Tuition shall be based upon the cost of providing direct instructional services to students. For the baseline year (1995-96 school year), the base tuition rate for full-time, regular education students was $2,692. In subsequent years, tuition shall be equal to the 1995-96 tuition as adjusted annually by the percentage increase in the county appropriation to the current expense fund.
Out-of-State Residents
Tuition shall be the base tuition for Maryland residents plus the most recent amount of state aid per pupil for "current expenses." For the 1995-96 school year, the out-of-state tuition rate for full-time, regular education students was $3,014 (base amount of $2,692 plus state aid per pupil for current expenses of $322).
Transportation shall not be provided to students attending Worcester County Schools under this policy unless approved by the Superintendent based upon availability without additional cost to the Worcester County Board of Education.
Eligible postgraduate students will be admitted tuition-free if facilities are available. Tuition for noneligible students at the Career and Technology Center on a one-half day program will equal one-half the amount determined above. Nonresident students who complete the ninth through eleventh grades in the Worcester County Public School System as eligible students and who desire to complete their senior year in the Worcester County School System must submit a written request to the Superintendent.
This policy shall not be applicable to students from adjoining Maryland counties whose eligibility to attend the Worcester County Schools is determined by mutual agreement between the Boards of Education of the counties involved.
B. Special Education Students
Children with disabilities who are residents of other states and/or Maryland counties will be considered for acceptance on a tuition basis into Worcester County Public Schools on an individual basis. Children from other states and/or Maryland counties who are enrolled in Worcester County Public Schools and referred by a parent or teacher for special education service will be considered on the same basis as children who are not presently enrolled. Before a handicapped child with a disability who is not a resident of Worcester County is accepted for special education services, the following procedures and guidelines will be adhered to:
Evaluation
1. An IEP team meeting will be held to determine the appropriate evaluations, the existence of a disability the special education service required and the Individual Education Program.
Evaluations available at the time of the first IEP meeting will be considered. If it is determined that additional evaluations are needed before a decision can be reached, the team and the parent or guardian will determine the appropriate evaluations as well as the professional personnel who will conduct the evaluations.
Policies & Procedures
2. All Worcester County Board of Education Special Education Policies and Procedures will be followed. Additionally, once a placement decision and a proposed Individual Education Plan has been developed by the IEP team, the following issues will be addressed by the principal, Supervisor of Special Education, and Assistant Superintendent for Administration:
- Staffing implications of the child's enrollment.
- Instructional grouping, both in the special education and the regular education setting, and the effect on the other children in those groups.
Once the above issues have been considered, the staff will make a recommendation to the Superintendent. The Superintendent will render a decision in terms of accepting the handicapped child into the Worcester County Public School system.
Tuition
3. Tuition will be based upon the current Worcester County Board of Education out of county/state tuition rates, with the following additional tuition rate schedule for special education services, determined on an individual case-by-case basis.
- Monitor/Consultative Services 110%
- 1-5 hours per week 150%
- 6-15 hours per week 200%
- 16-35 hours per week 250%
- Self-Contained Spec. Ed Classroom 300%
Tuition Schedule
See tuition schedule for more details.
Transportation
4. Transportation will be the responsibility of the parent. Permission may be given for the child to ride a Worcester County bus if there is space, and if the route does not have to be altered.
Continued Enrollment
5. The child's continued enrollment is subject to review at any time, and will be reviewed annually. The review will include the evaluation, identification, transportation, placement, and the annual tuition. It is the intent of the Worcester County Board of Education that its commitment to serve the child may be terminated at any time that it is determined to be in the best interest of the Worcester County Public School system.
Responsible Local Education Agency
6. It is understood that the responsible local education agency is the school system in which the legal parent or guardian resides. Therefore, if the parent or guardian does not agree with the evaluation, identification, placement, and related services of their child, the responsible local education agency will immediately assume responsibility for the child. Worcester County Public School employees will not be permitted to participate in any due process proceedings involving a child who is the responsibility of another LEA.
C.Tuition Credit
Each Worcester County Board of Education employee who has a child attending Worcester County schools under this policy shall receive an annual tuition credit equal to $2,000 or one-half the annual tuition to attend Worcester County schools, whichever amount is less. One-half the credit shall be applied at the beginning of each semester.
D.Tuition Prorating
Tuition will be prorated when necessary. One-half of the annual tuition is due and payable on the first day of each semester.