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EXTRA CONTENT: Knox Board of Education votes to end ‘reciprocal agreement’ with Corbin Schools
Posted On 15 Jan 2010
To read the full statement released by the Knox County Schools click here.
A vote by Knox County Board of Education members to end an agreement that allows students in the district to attend Corbin schools, and vice versa, without paying tuition has sent shockwave of concern among parents and school leaders.
According to Knox County Board of Education member Sam Watts, the five-member board voted unanimously during a special meeting Monday to end the year’s-long arrangement with the Corbin’s schools — a move many had not anticipated. Watts, who represents voters in the Second District, made up primarily of Artemus and Poplar Creek, said the decision was a monetary one.
“We already had to close one school down for lack of students,” Watts said. “We had 169 going to Corbin. We need to keep all the kids we can in Knox County because we are the Knox County School System.”
The arrangement is often called a “non-resident contract’ or “reciprocal agreement,” whereby school districts agree that students that live in one district may attend another at no cost. But state funding for the student attending that other school goes with them, an issue that seems the main motivation for the change.
Knox Schools officials estimate that the students lost to Corbin represented about $530,000 in what is called SEEK funding (Support Educational Excellence in Kentucky) annually. School districts are guaranteed at least $3,866 per year for each student in state funding. The Knox County Board of Education has been forwarding about $653,354 annually to Corbin and getting only around $123,712 in return.
“We had to start making changes somewhere, so that’s what we have done,” said Walter T. Hulett, Superintendent of the Knox County School System, in a prepared statement released Friday. “Corbin is offering a lot of extra programs with the additional money they’re getting from the Knox County Board of Education, while we have to reduce programs and not offer the same services we think would be as equally beneficial to our students.”
Kentucky public schools are funded by property taxes (both on land and things like automobiles and watercraft) and through a SEEK formula that is adjusted periodically.
According to Mark Daniels, Director of Support Services for the Corbin Independent School District, only 32 students that live in Corbin’s district go to Knox County Schools.
That imbalance can mostly be attributed, Corbin School officials say, to the comparative quality of education provided in the two districts.
According to federal No Child Left Behind reports, Corbin schools are typically ranked highly with vast numbers of students showing proficiency in reading and math skills. Individual schools, as well as the district as a whole, are among the state’s best.
Knox County Schools are at the opposite end of the spectrum, consistently ranked among Kentucky’s worst.
Based on 2009 NCLB reports, four of the districts schools are currently facing “consequences” for failing to make adequate yearly progress in the education of their students. Lynn Camp High School is in “Tier 1” consequences and Knox Central High School is in “Tier 2” consequences. Tier 1 means the school has failed to make AYP for two straight years and must notify parents of the deficiency, implement a school choice plan and revise its school improvement plan. Tier 2 includes all the same consequences, but the school must also provide supplemental services to help struggling students.
Corbin School Superintendent Ed McNeel said he has not been officially notified of the Knox County School Board’s decision to sever ties when it comes to the reciprocal agreement and does not know yet what kind of impact it will have on the school district.
“It’s kind of bad for students that have been in the district for many years and then all of the sudden you are told you can’t go there anymore,” McNeel said.
During Thursday’s regular monthly meeting of the Corbin Board of Education, board members expressed concern over the decision. Board member Kim Croley encouraged citizens in Knox County who disagreed to call their respective school board members.
“It’s a huge issue,” she said.
Larry Dickerson, the father of two children who attend Corbin Schools, said the decision would impact his family negatively. His kids, seven and 10-years-old respectively, attend Corbin Primary and Corbin Intermediate Schools. Dickerson said he actually lives in Laurel County, but went to court to have “educational guardianship” of his children legally transferred to his in-laws. They are now responsible for the education of the children. He did this, he said, because his in-laws live in Knox County, which allows him to send his children to Corbin Schools under the current reciprocal agreement. That agreement runs out July 1.
“What do we need to do?” Dickerson asked the board. “I’m here to find out if you can lead me in the right direction. It’s not fair to the students.”
Another parent, who lives in Knox County School System but whose child attends Corbin Schools, criticized the decision.
“I will bring my daughter to Corbin city schools no matter what they do because it is a much better school system,” she said. “People have built their homes in Knox County because they thought they had the right to send their child where they wanted. People have brand new houses, built in the last few years and they don’t know what to do. It is very stressful. I think they are just thinking about the bottom line and not the children.”
According to the Knox County Board of Education Statement, there is no “grandfather clause” for students who live in the Knox School District but who attend Corbin.
“The board looked at setting caps on student numbers,” said Knox County School Superintendent Walter T. Hulett. “It also looked at grandfathering children in, or grandfathering certain children in, but decided this would involve a 12-year plan. So in the end, the board said it may be simpler, though not pleasant, to go ahead and end it all together.”
Daniels said students from outside the district could attend Corbin next school year by paying a $1,200 tuition fee. SEEK money for students who chose this option is not awarded to either school district, instead being retained by the state.
McNeel said as a matter of policy, the Corbin Independent Schools allow students that reside in its district to go to any other school of their choice and agrees to forward SEEK money to that school.
“It is the philosophy of the Corbin School System that parents should be able to let their kids go to any school they want to,” McNeel said. “We believe parents should be happy with the school where their children are educated.”
The Knox County Schools approved reciprocal agreements with Barbourville, Clay, Middlesboro, Pineville, Williamsburg and Whitley County school districts. An agreement with Laurel County is on a “two-year approval schedule.”
Hulett said Knox County Schools have been in a “financial crisis” the last few years, forced to lay off 30 certified staff members and approximately 15 classified staff. The district has also closed one school and sold two buildings meet budget demands.
“We’ve done all that we can to try to keep things floating."
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Interested partiesshould contact Knox County School Board Members and ask these questions. Next School Board Meeting on 01-26-10. Check out Knox Parents for Corbin Schools page on Facebook. Central place for concerned parents to find information.
The biggest mistake I ever made in my life was allowing my children to stay in the Knox County school system. I had three children of my own and was also taking care of my younger brother. I had to work every day so I didn’t have a way to get my children to Corbin. My brother was on the honor roll at Knox Central he never brought home anything below a B. When he got to Cumberland College he struggled for a while and then gave up. He couldn’t do the college level work. I took my grandson out of Lynn Camp two years ago as soon as he turned 16. I put him in Job Corp. I couldn’t stand to see another child try to make it without an education. I will always regret that I didn’t take my children out of the Knox County school system. It should be about whatever is best for the children and their education. There is a good reason people are sending their children to Corbin. They want them to have a good education. Shame on the Knox County Board of education for wanting to take away a childs right to go to a good school. When the quality of education in the Knox County schools equals that of Corbin’s it might be different. Until then you are only hurting the children of this area. Seems to me you should be worrying about getting the quality of education up to par first. This will only hurt the children that can’t afford the tuition. The ones that can pay it will. Again the children pay the price for the mistakes of the ones that are suppose to be looking out for their best interest but are really only worried about the almighty dollar.
Concerned Knox County Grandmother
This is not going to solve any problems for Knox County. If anything, it will get worse. I moved my daughter to Corbin several years ago because the Knox County school system is severely lacking. The difference in the quality of education between the two school systems is astounding. Knox County DOES NOT care about the students. I will pay the tuition and keep my daughter at Corbin. If that were not an option I would home school her. I will never send her to Knox County. Her education is far to important for that. My only regret is that she once attended a Knox County School. Had I known what I now know, I would have started her at Corbin and never set foot inside a Knox County School.
It is so hard to believe that the Knox County Board members cannot listen to what they are saying in interviews about this decision and NOT hear that this will NOT solve anything for them long term.. As someone mentioned, if parents pay the tuition, or decide to homeschool, or use educational guardianship, than Knox will not see any of the SEEK money. What they really need to do is infuse their schools with quality leadership, that puts educational practices and hard work first, above anything else, and then maybe parents would actually want to send their kids there. It is awful to think that people that represent children would sight money problems as the real reason for uprooting children from established relationships, firendships, and consistency. They really got themselves in this situation, it could have just have easily happened in surrounding counties, but it doesn’t because of the leadership and the dedication of Corbin employees. Please support any efforts to convince the Knox board that they need to get themselves out of this situation, and not effect the lives of over 100 families.
Thank you so much Trent for reporting the facts. We appreciate it. Great job.
I’m glad the News Journal took some initiative on this and gave us parents some FACTS to go on instead of just rumors. You would think the DAILY paper would have had something by now but I am not surprised we were let down.
Anyway I have two boys that go to Corbin one at the high school and the other the middle school. I live in Gray and I can tell you I will NEVER send them to Lynn Camp no matter what I have to do because they deserve a better education than that. I agree with Mcneel from Corbin that parents should be happy with the school they send their kids to and I am NOT HAPPY with Knox schools I can tell you that.
So sounds like they are doing this just for money. I wonder if they have thought about the fact that if people pay tuition they still do not get SEEK money for that child. If the parent does home schooling the county still will not get the SEEK money for that child. If the parent does a guardianship then the money will still go to Corbin and Knox will still not get the SEEK money. If the parent does a power of attorney then the money will still go to Corbin and Knox will still not get the SEEK money for any of these children. So now what Knox county? You will end up still having financial issues in your schools regardless of these 200 kids or not. May want to rethink your decisions because your decision does not appear to be doing what you think it will do. You are not punishing Corbin Schools for anything you are hurting children that Corbin Schools is where all their friends are at. You are hurting employees of Corbin Schools who feel safe having their children with them where they work. Not only are you looking at having financial issues, but you are ****ing off some of your biggest voters in Knox County and we will start reconsidering who we vote in for school board members. If the number of students going to Corbin living in Knox County is affecting your schools, can you imagine the number of mad parents that will vote against you and will have their families and friends also vote against you. Knox County Schools are just hurting the community of Knox County.
So sounds like they are doing this just for money. I wonder if they have thought about the fact that if people pay tuition they still do not get SEEK money for that child. If the parent does home schooling the county still will not get the SEEK money for that child. If the parent does a guardianship then the money will still go to Corbin and Knox will still not get the SEEK money. If the parent does a power of attorney then the money will still go to Corbin and Knox will still not get the SEEK money for any of these children. So now what Knox county? You will end up still having financial issues in your schools regardless of these 200 kids or not. May want to rethink your decisions because your decision does not appear to be doing what you think it will do.
Thank you for getting the information out. I wonder, why was all the other school agreements signed, but not ours? It seems we are being singled out. Some questions for everyone to consider….Our part of the district is where a large percentage of tax money comes from. What is Knox. Co. going to do when the tax revenue goes down because home values will not be the same. Would you want to move to an area where the only approved district ranks a couple places from last in the state? Common sense says where are you going to send your child to a top school or to the bottom school in the state? How could West Knox and Lynn Camp handle an additional enrollment of 180 students. Would this require eastern Gray residents to transfer and be bused up to another elementary or Knox Central? What is the plan for improving the education levels of Knox. Co. students? Can they continue to keep Corbin students at the level they are? WHY DO KNOX CO. TEACHERS SEND THIER OWN STUDENTS TO CORBIN? I look forward to seeing the News Journal cover the next Knox. Co Board of Ed. Mtg. Thank you Trent Knuckles, glad you are there!
Finally someone takes the time to get the facts! Thanks to you Mr. Knuckles for your reporting on this.