A tentative agreement concerning school choice was reached early Tuesday morning following six hours of mediation between Warren County and Bowling Green Independent schools.
The two groups have been fighting since the spring of 2013 over the number of county students allowed to attend city schools.
WBKO television in Bowling Green reports the agreement includes:
* A decrease of 20 non-resident students a year in the city system for five years.
* After those five years, the decrease drops to a reduction of 15 students per year for ten years.
* By 2030 the total number of non-resident students in the Bowling Green Independent School system will be down to 500.
* The selection process for non-resident students will be by Date of Application for kindergartners, meaning the first to apply will have priority.
* For all students beyond kindergarten, the selection process will be a random draw.
The Warren County Board opened the mediation with an offer of a reduction of 50 students a year. The city district came back with a counter-offer of four students earlier this year. A number in the middle ground was negotiated.
There is still an appeal in Franklin Circuit Court by Warren County, made after the Kentucky Education Commissioner affirmed a decision made earlier this year in favor of Bowling Green city schools to keep the non-resident number of students at 750. Warren County said they'd drop that appeal if an agreement is found.
The agreement is contingent on both school boards voting to accept it at their meetings.
