The Monmouth County Vocational School District introduced a $600 tuition increase for shared-time students that will take effect in the 2004-2005 school year.

Brian McAndrew, superintendent of the Monmouth County Vocational School District, said his Board of Education was expected to vote on the tuition increase at its meeting yesterday. A decrease of $300 in tuition for the full-time career academies was also included, he said.

The proposed annual tuition costs will be $5,800 for the full-time career academies, $9,600 for special education, $4,800 for special education shared time, which is half-day enrollment, $600 for vocational shared time, and nothing for the adult high school, Business Administrator Rosemarie Kindon said.

The vocational shared-time students’ home districts were never charged tuition, but the vo-tech district always had the right to charge for tuition.

The county district is unable to continue funding the shared-time population that way, McAndrew said.

"If we all got the appropriate state aid, we wouldn’t be seeing the increase," he said. "We’re all facing limited amount of money and less support from the state."

County Administrator Louis Paparozzi said the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders voted Feb. 26 for a 9 percent increase in funding for the vocational district.

"The freeholders stepped up to the plate and continue to provide good funding," Paparozzi said. "They have gone above and beyond to provide the increase."

The district had to put the costs for each of the tuitions in proper balance, McAndrew said. The overall costs are substantially lower, because with the tuition decrease for the career academies, the actual increase is about 2-3 percent, he said.

The district received a $230,000 increase in state aid this year and after receiving flat aid the past few years, it was able to make some changes with the raise, McAndrew said.

The shared time tuition was originally expected to be over $1000 per student, and was recently lowered to $800. McAndrew said the board was able to reduce it another $200 with the 3 percent state aid increase.

"We tightened our belt, and I don’t consider it to be out of line at all," he said.

The lowering of shared time tu­ition to $600 saved additional fund­ing for area districts who must pay for their students, but many are still not in favor of any increase.

"I appreciate the lower amount, but I’m not happy about having to pay for shared time," said Renae LaPrete, superintendent of the Hazlet school district, which has about 40 vocational students. "I would love to have that money to do other things."

David Witmer, superintendent of the Middletown school district, said the tuition charge is inappro­priate, and the Board of Education sent letters asking the vocational district to reconsider.

"I’m not pleased because the vo­cational shared time up until now was always zero, and the funding should continue the way it’s been in the past," Witmer said.

The Middletown district has more than 150 students in the vo­cational schools, so the tuition in­crease is a major cost item, he said.

McAndrew said the Monmouth County tuition increase is reason­able because it is still one of the lowest vocational tuitions among the other counties in the state that charge.

The trend in vocational tuition increase may continue in the fu­ture unless certain things change, he said.

"The state needs to face the issue of placing the burden of public education on the property tax owner," McAndrew said. "It’s not equitable, and unless they see how to fund it better, we’re always go­ing to have this battle."