Norwich ― The Board of Education is considering reducing the list of 13 designated high schools city students can choose to attend, a move that could cut costs in the city school budget and boost enrollment at Norwich Free Academy.

The board is expected to vote March 14 to update its policy on designated high schools. The policy was written in 2015 and the number of schools has grown since then.

Currently, the city lists NFA, Ledyard High School, Bacon Academy, Ledyard agriscience program, New London Science & Technology Magnet High School, Marine Science Magnet High School in Groton, Norwich Regional Technical High School, Ella Grasso Technical High School in Groton, Windham Technical High School, Three Rivers Middle College, Griswold High School, Waterford High School and ACT Arts Magnet High School in Windham as designated high schools for Norwich residents.

Removing technical and magnet schools as designated schools would not prohibit Norwich students from attending but would lower Norwich’s transportation costs.

Removing other high schools, such as Waterford, Ledyard High School and Bacon Academy in Colchester, would mean Norwich students could not attend those schools unless the Board of Education grants a waiver.

Magnet schools also are open to any Norwich student. The city must pay full tuition. If the magnet school is listed as a designated school, the city pays full transportation. If not, as with tech schools, the state caps the city’s cost at $6,000.

The state pays tuition to technical schools, but by statute, if a technical school is outside the district, such as Grasso or Windham Tech for Norwich, the city would pay full transportation cost only if the school is listed as a designated high school. If it is not listed, the statute caps the city’s transportation cost at $6,000 per student, with reimbursement through the state transportation grant, according to a summary of the state law provided by the Office of Legislative Research.

Superintendent Kristen Stringfellow said if the board removed schools, all students currently attending those high schools would be allowed to continue through graduation, but no new enrollments would be accepted.

Because of contracts with most designated high schools that require advanced notice of cancellation, changes to the list would not take effect until after the 2023-24 school year. Only Ledyard High School has no contractual obligation for the coming school year, she said.

Board Chairman Robert Aldi said reducing the designated high school list could boost NFA enrollment, potentially lowering per student tuition at the city’s main designated high school.

State law requires school districts without high schools to designate at least one high school, Stringfellow said. She recommended the board consider listing only NFA as the designated high school, allowing families seeking different choices to appeal to the board for a waiver.

Aldi said the 7.25% NFA tuition increase for next year is driven in part by a drop in enrollment, raising costs per student.

Aldi asked School Business Administrator Robert Sirpenski to present the financial scenario to the board. Sirpenski calculated how removing Waterford, Ledyard and Bacon Academy from the list could impact the Norwich budget.

Although no changes would affect the coming school year, Sirpenski said Norwich will budget for 50 Norwich students combined to attend Waterford, Ledyard High School and Bacon Academy in 2023-24. If all of them chose NFA instead, NFA would have an additional $672,150 in tuition revenue, potentially reducing the per student tuition increase.

Transportation costs to Waterford total $63,981, to Colchester, $127,962 and Ledyard, $63,981. Sirpenski calculated total tuition and transportation cost at $750,000 for the three schools. Sirpenski added, however, that transportation savings to Ledyard are difficult to know, because Norwich would be required to transport any Norwich student attending the Ledyard agriscience program.

“This policy really needs to be looked at and discussed and to make streamlined the choices,” Aldi said.

But longtime board member Aaron “Al” Daniels reminded the board that the designated high school policy was expanded to give Norwich students more choices if NFA was not the right fit for them. Norwich had strained relations with NFA when the policy was written in 2015.

Over the years, officials from other high schools gave presentations to the Norwich school board asking to be added to the list of designated high schools for Norwich students.

“We are about the kids, and we wanted to give them more choices,” Daniels said. “We knew it was going to cost, we did. It wasn’t a surprise. The question that we’ve got to ask over this next month is, ‘Do we still want to provide those choices and how we are going to do it?’ It’s a balancing act. We all know that all kids don’t learn the same. NFA, though a great school it is, is not the right fit for everyone.”

c.bessette@theday.com