Kingsport School Board votes to lower tuition rates for non-city residents
KINGSPORT, Tenn. (WJHL) — The Kingsport Board of Education voted Tuesday night to lower tuition rates for non-city residents.
Under the newly approved rates, which will start next school year, tuition for non-Kingsport residents in Tennessee will be $1,000 per year per student. Tuition for students of city and school system employees will be $500 per year.
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Rates will also decrease by $50 per year for each additional child in a family, or by $25 for city and school system employees.
Out-of-state tuition will remain $9,700 per year.
Current tuition fees, unchanged since 2018, are $1,400 per year for Sullivan County residents, $2,400 for Hawkins County residents, and $3,400 for residents of other Tennessee counties. City and school system employees currently get a $700 discount if they live in Sullivan County or a $1,400 discount if they live in any other Tennessee county.
The change comes after school leaders saw that the school system’s tuition rates were significantly higher than other school systems.
“There are some families who otherwise would have considered Kingsport City Schools, but just due to the rate of the past tuition it was not affordable for them as a family, and this will give them the opportunity to give greater consideration for enrolling in our system,” Jim Nash, Chief Student Services Officer, said.
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School officials also believe lower tuition will help with enrollment, which is down about 125 students compared to last year, according to Nash.
Nash said the school system needs at least 25 more transfer students to make up for the decrease in tuition. He hopes to see an additional 50-100 students.
“Once we exceed 25, then we would be getting additional funding which would help us from a bottom line standpoint as a district in terms of revenue coming into the district,” Nash said.
KCS will get $7,075 per student in state funding for this upcoming school year.
“Regardless of where they live, each student, we get that 7,000 plus amount and then in addition, the tuition rate,” Nash said.
Tuition is only approved if there is room available, but Nash says the school system has enough space for incoming students.
There are currently 312 tuition students in Kingsport schools out of 7,337 students in total.
The board may also discuss lowering tuition even further for city employees at a future meeting.
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