A potential $2,000 tuition for Governor’s School could make the program less of a meritocracy and leave districts deciding whether to take on the extra cost.
If the N.C. General Assembly’s proposed budget cuts are enacted, the program will lose all of its state funding, leaving students or local districts with the full cost of attendance.
The cost of Governor’s School increased to $500 last year, and students already accepted into the N.C. Governor’s School will likely not have to pay an increased tuition this summer, Mary Watson, director of the program, said.
In the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district, 21 students were selected to attend the six-week program this year.
The district requires parents to pay a tuition, unless they are unable, in which case financial assistance is available, said Jean Parrish, coordinator for district’s instructional services division.
The district did not have to pay any student’s tuition in 2010, Parrish said, though she declined to comment on how many students are seeking aid this year.
“We’re facing the same cuts as everyone else,” she said
She said no students in the district have been deterred from the school because they couldn’t pay.
The Orange County Schools district had five students accepted into the program, said Patricia Coleman, administrative associate to the superintendant.