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The Bound Brook School District has instituted a rewards program to identify non-resident students.

(Amanda Brown/ The Star Ledger)

BOUND BROOK — The Bound Brook School District is offering a $50 gift card to anyone who helps it identify a student who isn't a legal resident of the borough or attending through an official school choice program

"The monetary reward is small in comparison to the cost of non-resident, non-school choice student tuition savings," Superintendent of Schools Dr. Gallagher said.

It costs $14,000 per school year to educate each non-resident student, Gallagher said.

The district uncovers approximately three to four non-resident students per school year and sends them back to their home districts, Gallagher said. But he said residents complain that the number is much higher.

"The community is telling us that there are more kids," Gallagher said. "Well, we need their help. We wanted to put something out there where we can enlist their help. We can't be everywhere in the community all the time.

"We get anonymous calls from people all the time. They tell us that they saw a student get off a bus. It's very hard for us to follow up on some of those things."

The problem, Gallagher said, is that Bound Brook has a very transient population. Residents frequently move in and out and often leave their kids in the district when they depart.

"People will move into town, they're here for three months, and then they move out and leave their kids in the school system," Gallagher said. "Legally, you can't do that. That's the bulk of what we see."

The district currently has 37 students who have opted to come into the Bound Brook School District from other districts through New Jersey's school choice program, Gallagher said. The district has collected $472,638 in out-of-town tuition this year, he said.

The Bound Brook School District has three elementary schools (Lafayette, LaMonte and LaMonte Annex), a middle school (Smalley School) and a high school (Bound Brook High).

Residents seeking more information or looking to report a non-resident student can call the Bound Brook School District at 732-356-2500 or email Gallagher at superintendent@bbrook.org. Any person wants the district to investigate a non-resident, non-school choice student needs to leave the person's name and contact information.

Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@starledger.com. Find NJ.com on Facebook.