A dispute between the Bowling Green city and Warren County school systems will go before a mediator Saturday.
The two school systems are at odds over a non-resident student agreement for next school year and beyond. Warren County wants to keep more of its students and the state funding that comes with them. The county last year lowered the number of students who could transfer to city schools.
For Bowling Green Schools Superintendent Joe Tinius, it’s not about money, but school choice.
"The SEEK dollars that follow students are spent on students," says Tinius. "It doesn't create a windfall or a pot of discretionary money for any school district."
Warren County Superintendent Rob Clayton argues that cutting the number of transfers doesn’t stifle school choice. "There are options that everyone has," Clayton says. "You can choose to live in a certain area, reside in a school district. The state has now passed a law that says if your parents are employed in a certain school district that children may attend that school district. The third component is the option to pay tuition."
Paducah attorney Rick Walter will mediate discussion between the two sides Saturday at the Green River Regional Educational Cooperative.
Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday has given the school systems until April 1st to reach an agreement.
