Expansion of transfer program

WINSTED — Northwestern Regional High School is trying to expand a new international student program, which will bring in a group of Asian transfer students this fall.

Initially, the program — which involves bringing Chinese, South Korean and Taiwanese students to the high school to study here for their senior year — was to have a limit of five students. Supporters of expanding the program say the increased enrollment will translate to more revenue for the district. Each student is required to pay the school’s $14,400 a year tuition fee.

Over the past several months the district has been working with the South Korean-based Nexdore, an overseas study management agency, to identify students who are not only interested in coming here but also have the English language skills required.

In addition, the district has been working closely with Homeland Security and other government agencies to make sure the administration is following proper procedures in setting up the program.

Region 7 is one of the few Connecticut school districts that has received federal approval to be named to the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) list.

The Region 7 Board of Education unanimously voted to expand the number of students allowed to participate in the program to 25 at its May 12 regular meeting, after Superintendent of Schools Clinton Montgomery reported that an area business person was interested in possibly partnering with the school on the initiative.

According to the proposal, the business would be responsible for recruiting and screening appropriate candidates for the program overseas and then providing those students selected with their room and board while they are enrolled at Northwestern.

“They would take care of the hosting portion of the program,� Montgomery said.

The district would receive its tuition fee, and then the business would receive a fee for its hosting services directly from the students selected.

“This is something that is gaining a lot of ground now in colleges, private schools, and to some degree, public schools,� Montgomery said of the larger international student programs.

Currently, Northwestern’s program has two students who are “set and paid� for the 2010-11 school year, Montgomery said. He added that there are a few other candidates who are “in the pipeline� to attend Northwestern this fall.

But Montgomery said in order for the program to be economically viable for the hosting service, the business needs to operate on an “economy of scale,� with at least 20 to 25 students participating each year.

“Apparently, there is a real bottleneck of students who want to come here,� Montgomery said.

If the high school did enroll 25 international students for a given school year, that would mean an additional $360,000 in gross revenue for that year. Montogomery said he did not think “there would be much additional cost� to the district to add the international students to the school body.

In addition to its fiscal advantages, Montgomery said the program will also serve to enhance the district’s global skills curriculum by providing students with an opportunity to live and study with students who, although they are the same age, share a different culture and language.

Global skills have become an increasingly important focus for many high school and college students, as the worlds of business, technology, government and other fields become globalized.

In the same way, the international students who chose to study and live here are also looking to balance their education by improving their English language skills and experiencing a long-term exposure to Western culture.

Montgomery said the project would also provide an important complement to the high school’s Chinese language program.

The superintendent, however, said there is still more work to do to review the “fidelity and legality� of the business proposal, before the district enters into a partnership with the hosting service.

But the board’s vote to increase the potential number of students who can participate gives the hosting service and the district the room each needs to explore an expanded program’s economic and educational viability.

“The next step is to gather additional information, put together a plan, and then bring it back to the board,� Montgomery said.