Gowanda discusses elimination of tuition for families of staff
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GOWANDA -- At recent Gowanda Board of Education meetings, the district has discussed the potential of waiving tuition costs for the children of district employees.
Board of Education Vice President Dollene Christopher addressed the reasoning behind the board's discussions at a recent meeting.
"I want to reiterate the fact that I don't think many of us connect the health of our school district to the health of our community," Christopher said. "I think that's important to consider."
At a previous meeting, Christopher cited how many of the teachers in the district do not live within the community.
"I hope that would be something that would create that community that we don't always have with all of our teachers who do not live in the district," Christopher said.
Eliminating tuition for students whose parents work within the district was viewed by the Board of Education as a way to recruit and maintain employees, as well as fostering community engagement.
"The research has consistently shown that high performing schools raise your home values and generate wealth for your community, and low performing schools often do the reverse," Christopher said. "Investing in your school, in a multitude of ways, is an investment in your community, and your own wealth, eventually. ... I think it is flawed to believe that staff members are getting a benefit that leaves the surrounding community with nothing else to show for it."
"It does make an impact on not only the school, but the community and the culture here," said Board Member Mark Nephew. "Teachers become much more invested. Yes, there probably is some cost to it. But in the long run, when you're looking into bringing in social workers, teachers, athletic trainers ... these are things that will help entice people to come."
The Board of Education reviewed an agreement from a nearby school regarding the matter. Feedback from the community and faculty was also reviewed. After receiving feedback from the community, Christopher further discussed the importance of investing in the school to benefit the community.
"In our community, which is rural, we don't have the same economic base that once attracted families to choose to live here," Christopher said. "Now, the real attraction becomes your school. ... Your school becomes that center piece of attraction where people are willing to invest in your community."
Christopher continued, "You need a sense of community, you need ownership in your community, and you need a reputation in your district that people are going to want to come to."
After speaking with a nearby district with a policy in place to waive tuition for families of staff members, Christopher stated the policy "seemed to really make a difference in retaining those teachers long-term." She also stated that every district she spoke to "reported positive outcomes for their school communities." Christopher was also told by various districts that the policies improved the reputation of the schools.
In each district Christopher spoke with, transportation costs were not provided by the district, and transportation of students in need of special education placement out of district remained the cost of the residential district, rather than the district the student would be transferring to.
"It's a low risk for a potentially high benefit, and I would hate to ignore positive possibilities because you fear them, essentially," Christopher said.
Christopher stated, regarding a potential policy for the district, "It could be anything we want it to be, essentially ... and it can be easily revoked."
Board of Education President Max Graham stated after Christopher's comments, "A lot of other districts do have a policy similar. We're not just coming up with something out of thin air. ... It's been tried and done, so I don't think we need to really reinvent the wheel with this."
"I think it might be a good idea to think about it and get a little more information on it," Nephew said. "But I'm not ready to jump on board yet."
No action was taken on the matter. The district will continue to evaluate the potential financial impact of a potential policy and will further discuss the matter before a decision is made.