Reciprocal agreement would affect 406 students

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February 9, 2010

169 had been reported originally

Anonymous The Times-Tribune Tue Feb 09, 2010, 08:51 AM EST

By Samantha Swindler / Managing Editor

The end of a reciprocal attendance agreement between Corbin and Knox County schools turns out to be affecting more than twice the number of students originally reported.

On Monday, Corbin Superintendent Ed McNeel announced that 406 students who live in the Knox County school district currently attend Corbin Independent Schools. Officials from both school districts had originally reported that the decision to end a reciprocal agreement between the districts affected 169 students.

McNeel said information on students’ addresses was missing or incorrect when converted to the district’s new Infinite Campus data management system last spring. McNeel said he began to investigate the 169 number after speaking with parents, and with Knox County Superintendent Walter T. Hulett at a state-wide superintendent meeting at the end of January.

About two weeks ago, Corbin district staff began to review each address of Corbin’s more than 2,600 students to manually verify whether students lived inside or outside the district.

The number of students attending from Knox County has become cause for concern for both parents and school officials. In January, the Knox County school board voted to end a reciprocal agreement that allowed students in the Knox County district to attend school in Corbin without paying tuition.

Parents of those 406 students will be receiving letters in the mail asking them to verify that the address on file with the school district is correct, McNeel said.

“I think it’s a bigger concern for both districts,” McNeel said. “Thinking about that hypothetically, where do they go now? How would you handle them? That’s 20 teachers (needed for the students).”

The Corbin Board of Education is appealing Knox County’s decision to the Kentucky Commissioner of Education, who has 30 days to announce his decision. If that appeal fails, the board plans to appeal the decision to the Kentucky Board of Education and, as a last resort, will pursue the reciprocal agreement’s reinstatement in Franklin Circuit Court and the Kentucky Court of Appeals.

“I’m still holding out, I really hope the commissioner will look at what’s best for the kids and the quality of their education,” McNeel said. “...There’s a lot of good teachers in Knox County, but they have to look at the programs and activities and what they want to be involved in... I just think parents should have the opportunity to send a student to the school of their choice.”

Hulett did not return a call Monday seeking comment.

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Reciprocal agreement would affect 406 students

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