Since as far back as the late 1940s, Chester County has been educating Fairfield County students, and at a relatively small cost. Since 2009, however, the cost to Fairfield County has been zero.

Now, a new piece of local legislation introduced into the Senate last month by Sen. Creighton Coleman, aims to rectify what Chester County sees as an inequitable situation and do so at a savings for Fairfield County Schools.

The Fairfield County School District, however, opposes the idea and says that while the students, by law, have the choice of attending school in another district, Fairfield County taxpayers should not bear the burden.

“What would be the difference if a child wanted to attend school in Richland 1,” said Dr. Patrice Robinson, Superintendent of Fairfield County Schools. “Should we send money to Richland 1? I don’t see how it would be justified. Proximity should not be the determining factor.”

The dispute centers around approximately 170 students who live in the Mitford community, a 15-minute bus ride from schools in Great Falls, but significantly longer to Fairfield County schools.

According to Coleman, legislation introduced by Sen. John Martin and passed in 1972 allowed for these children to attend the closer Chester County schools. In return, the Fairfield County School District would pay Chester $25,000 a year.

When those payments stopped in 2007, Coleman introduced local legislation to address the matter. That legislation was pulled when the two districts reached a consensus, with Fairfield paying Chester $50,000 ($25,000 each for school year 2007-2008 and 2008-2009).

According to an April 22, 2009 letter from Richard Hughes, Chairman of the Chester County School Board, to Catherine Kennedy, then Chairwoman of the Fairfield County School Board, the districts had agreed, moving forward, that a reasonable payment for the 2009-2010 school year would be $100,000, and for the 2010-2011 school year, $200,000. Beyond that, a payment of $2,300 per student would be expected for the 2011-2012 school year.

Currently, the Fairfield County School District spends $12,500 in state and local money per pupil.

In addition, the parties agreed that costs would be reevaluated at the end of three years.

Annie McDaniel, chairwoman of the Fairfield County School Board, said there never was any written agreement between the two districts and as far as she knew there was no law mandating they pay Chester anything. McDaniel said it was made clear to the Mitford students that if they wanted to continue to attend Chester County schools, Fairfield County would not pick up the tab.

Since then, there has been no movement on the matter, and as school districts begin to prepare their 2010-2011 budgets, Coleman contacted McDaniel.

“I sent a letter a month ago,” Coleman said, “and haven’t heard a thing about it.”

Coleman said he had no choice, then, but to re-introduce the legislation.

The current bill calls for Fairfield County to pay Chester 103 percent of the previous year’s cost per pupil. Currently, Chester County spends $9,500 per pupil, while Fairfield County spends $12,500. This does not include the cost of bussing the students in from Mitford.

“The logic is there,” said Dr. Phil McDaniel, interim superintendent in Chester County. “I don’t understand why the money would not follow the students. We do the same thing with charter schools.”

The bill passed out of the Senate May 4 and is now in the House where Rep. Boyd Brown said it was expected to have its third and final reading today.