Students from Outside District Mean More Money for Benicia Schools

will welcome approximately 4,800 students to its seven campuses Aug. 17.  Of those kids, 150, or about three percent of the total number of students, will come from another district. 

The influx of students from other districts helps the Benicia district’s bottom line. The district will receive $5,200 for each out of town student enrolled in its seven schools, generating $780,000 for the district.

The 150 additional students mean the district needs about seven more teachers, but the cost of the teachers is less than the money generated by having the students in Benicia schools. According to Tim Rahill, finance director for Benicia Unified School District, the average cost for a teacher in Benicia schools is about $70,000 in salary and benefits. Rahill said more support staff is needed, too. He estimated the cost of teaching the additional students at about $525,000, meaning the district has an additional $255,000 because of the transfers.

The majority of the transfer students come from Vallejo and have been in Benicia schools for quite awhile. They also come from Vacaville, Napa, and Fairfield/Susuin and other districts. They usually are in Benicia schools because they have a parent who works in Benicia or because their afterschool day care is in Benicia.

Twenty-seven new students are coming to Benicia schools from outside the district in the 2011-2012 school year.

Of those, 20 will be kindergartners, three will attend and four will attend .

Students from other districts who wish to attend Benicia Schools must get permission from their home district and Benicia Unified. If both districts agree to the transfer it is labeled an Inter-District Agreement or IDA. The agreements are reviewed each year and either district can nix a student’s move. Sometimes the agreements are revoked.

Benicia revoked two IDAs this year. District officials wouldn’t say why the two were revoked but added that it probably had to do with behavior, grades or attendance.

Benicia students sometimes want to attend school elsewhere. This year the district has approved nine IDAs for Benicians to attend school in other districts.

The following table shows where out of district students come from and which Benicia schools they attend.