SCHOOL COMMITTEE Earle Morse, Chair 2011 Danielle London 2009 Kathi Gray 2011 Jane Luce 2010 Jennifer McCormack 2010 George Joseph Superintendent Wendy Russell Secretary The School Committee meets at 7:00pm on the third Thursday of the month at the Town Office. Click here for the next meeting date     SCHOOL RESIDENCY POLICY   This policy has been adopted pursuant to 20-A, M.R.S.A. § 5201(4) to clarify the circumstances under which this school administrative unit will pay tuition in accordance with 20-A M.R.S.A. §§ 5203(4) and 5204(4).     A student will be eligible for tuition under Maine law only if, for the school year involved, the student’s parent or guardian with legal custody is a “resident” of the Town of Carrabassett Valley, meaning that the student’s parent or guardian with legal custody actually lives in the Town of Carrabassett Valley (Town) during the school year, and the student actually lives with that parent or guardian in the Town of Carrabassett Valley throughout that school year.    To be eligible for tuition payments, a certificate of residency will be required for each student. The Carrabassett Valley School Department reserves the right to independently verify the residency of any student. The parent or guardian with legal custody has the burden of proving residency. If the parent or guardian fails to produce evidence of residency requested by the School Department, the School Department may decline to pay tuition on behalf of the student(s).   RESIDENCY DEFINED     “Residency” is defined as actually residence in a home in the Town where a person ordinarily and primarily sleeps, has meals, and conducts leisure activities throughout the school year. Ownership of property alone does not establish residency. Evidence of residency, may include address on driver’s license, registration of vehicles, voter registration, where homestead exemption is claimed, mailing address, legal residence as stated on State and Federal tax returns, and days per week and weeks per year that parent(s) or guardian is domiciled in Carrabassett Valley, but these factors will not control if the weight of evidence does not establish residency as defined above.     TUITION AND DELIVERY OF EDUCATIONAL SERVICES   K-8 Grades      Students in grades K-8th are provided educational services by School Administrative District #58 (SAD 58) by contractual agreement with Carrabassett Valley. Students may attend an elementary school of their choosing within the district. Transportation is provided to Kingfield Elementary School and is at this writing provided to Stratton Elementary School. Transportation to the latter is subject to demand and budget constraints. Students who are in 8th grade may choose to attend Carrabassett Valley Academy for any portion of their eighth grade year, if they have completed their seventh grade year at a SAD 58 school after attending that school for at least 30 school days, and if they are accepted by the Academy through the standard admissions process.  Carrabassett Valley will not pay tuition money to Carrabassett Valley Academy for any eighth grade students who did not attend SAD 58 schools for some portion of their seventh grade year. For students attending Carrabassett Valley Academy, the town will pay only the State Mandated Tuition Rate plus the Insured Value Factor. Any tuition required beyond those forestated amounts is the responsibility of the parent(s) or guardian of the student. 9-12 Grades      Students in grades 9-12 may attend an accredited school of their choosing. The town will pay the State Mandated Tuition Rate for high school students. In the case of a private institution, the town will pay the State Mandated Tuition Rate and the Insured Value Factor. Any tuition required beyond those forestated amounts, is the responsibility of the parent(s) or guardian of the student.   NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES   New Residents/Residents with Children Entering School    New residents with school age children and residents with children, who are using town funded educational services for the first time, must register their children at the Town Office prior to enrolling their child in school. After receiving the Carrabassett Valley Superintendents approval, the student may be enrolled in the approved school. At the time of registration at the Town Office, the parent(s) or legal guardian must:   1) Sign a Certificate of Residency and supply copies of supporting documents download certificate of residency form 2) Complete a Student Registration Form download student registration form   The Carrabassett Valley Superintendent will review the Certificate of Residency, and the school choices, and will notify the parent(s) or guardian in writing within 2 weeks of the received date on the Student Registration Form of the town’s acceptance of responsibility to pay associated tuition and approval of the schools to be attended. Parent(s) or guardians must not assume the town will pay their child(ren)’s tuition until they have received written notification from the Superintendent. In situations where school is already in session, temporary approval will be given within three business days, and then final approval will be given by the Superintendent within the stated 2 weeks.   School Choice Changes    If a child attends a school for the entire school year, after having received the Superintendent’s approval, and maintains residency as defined in this policy in the Town, then no further notification by the parent/guardian to the Town is needed for the student to continue in that same school the following year.     If a student seeks to attend a different school from the previous year, or to change schools during a current school year, a new Carrabassett Valley Student Registration Form must be filled out at the Town Office and approval granted before the town will assume financial responsibility for the student’s tuition.    If a student attends a school other than the one approved by the Superintendent, and at a later date chooses to return to the previously approved school, then the parent(s) or guardian will need to fill out a new Certificate of Residency Form, supply new copies of supporting documents, and complete a new Student Registration Form. The town will assume financial responsibility for the student only after the Superintendent reviews the residency form and approves the school choice.    Again, the Carrabassett Valley School Department reserves the right to independently verify the residency of any student at any time.   Link to SAD 58Link to CVA