The Blaine County School District's new residency requirement seems to have had little impact on student numbers as enrollment is higher this year than last.
District Business Manager Mike Chatterton said it's difficult to know how many students didn't register because of the new requirement, but "if I was to guess, I'd say it would be 1 percent or less."
"I'm sure there was a little, but I don't think it was as much as a lot of people expected," he said.
The school district board of trustees adopted the Blaine County-residents-only rule in July because of concerns that people living outside the county were registering children in the district's schools. Since about two-thirds of the district's budget is from property taxes, patrons had complained that the outsiders weren't paying their fair share.
District enrollment as of Thursday was 3,360, up 43 students from an enrollment of 3,317 for the 2007-08 school year.
"I think it's natural growth," said Chatterton, "I'm sure that because of the high cost of gas that people are realizing that they can live in the Wood River Valley just as cheaply as they can live in the Magic Valley."
The new residency requirement was approved by the school board earlier in July. The new rule requires that the parents or guardians of students provide proof of Blaine County residency prior to be accepted for registration. It's not just for new students either. Currently enrolled students must also prove residency.
Utility bills, lease agreements, driver's licenses, property tax bills and state tax returns are some of the items that will satisfy the requirement.
The new rule is partly in response to complaints from district patrons, said School Board Clerk Laurie Kaufman.
"Absolutely we're addressing patron concerns," she said. "The problem is they think they're paying for kids who don't live in the district."
School starts for the 2008-2009 school year on Aug. 25. Registration starts on Aug. 7 and will run through Aug. 14.
"This is the best time of year to make sure everybody's on the up and up and to make sure they live in Blaine County," Kaufman said. "This is the cleanest way to do this."
Chatterton said that property owners pay the major share, about 65 percent, of the school district's budget. With higher property values in Blaine than in surrounding counties, that translates into more money available per student.
He said the district spent $16,549 per student in the 2007-2008 school year compared to a state average of $8,400 per student.
Chatterton said he's also aware of complaints from patrons about outsiders enrolling in the district's schools.
"We've been hearing that for several years," he said. "We feel like we owe it to those people to make sure it's not happening."
"It's going to be a major task for the school district to verify residency," Chatterton said. "If we can get the word out before they come in and enroll it will make that process a little easier.
A spokesman for the Idaho State Board of Education said such policies weren't out of the ordinary statewide.
"Each district will have their own policies regarding residency," said Mark Browning, spokesman for the state board. "I don't think it's that out of the ordinary."
