At the Evansville School Board on Monday night, a citizen whose children attended school in Evansville but lived outside the district, wondered whether open enrollment attendance for future years could be denied because of lack of space. Lack of space is becoming a more frequent reason for denial in some districts. Click on the post for a discussion of the open enrollment at Beloit Memorial. Supr. Heidi Garvin responded that denial due to space was unlikely in the near future. She said that the numbers of students coming into the district and going out was been pretty much a "wash" or even.
She also indicated that the "cap" that has limited the number of students leaving a district to 10% will expire this year. She said that Evansville and Albany had supported legislation that would extend this cap. The cap prevents a large number of students from leaving which could imperil the survival of a district or force it to merge. However, she wondered about the success of the amendment in light of the Republican majority in the Wisconsin legislature and she is unsure of how the extension idea will be received.
What are your thoughts on open enrollment?
The original purpose of open enrollment was to give freedom to parents to seek the best "fit" for their children and also one that fits best logistically for busy working parents. Logistics has been a major reason for many transfers. The other purpose was to reward "better quality" school districts and to create a climate of "competition." In some states such as Minnesota, districts actually advertise their services. One such district, Moundsview School District in Minnesota which has had a large number of National Merit Scholars has used this to promote their district and has been very successful, to the unhappiness of neighboring districts.
So, you make the call. Should the "cap" of 10% be allowed to expire allowing districts to be forced to merge if enrollment falls dramatically? You make the call.
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I would not want to see the Evansville school district merge with anyone. Who would we merge with? Albany? There is no way I would want my kids to go to Albany in any way, shape or form. The Albany school district has serious issues involving budget and staff for years. Albany has not been able to hang on to its really good teachers, because of pay and management of school. I am not saying that there are no good teacher's there, just quite a few of the good ones have left, some have come to Evansville. I grew up in Albany and my sister's kids go to school there and have watched the decline in that school for years. I know that Albany approached the Evansville district a couple of years ago about the thought of merging. ANYONE that we would merge with would require a lengthy bus, ride, I don't think thats how any of us want our kids spending their time. I think the CAP does need to be extended def. I see no harm in it being extended.
ReplyDeleteI think open enrollment is a very good thing. As Heidi stated the amount of student who leave and those who go is a wash. It's not hurting the school it self. Open enrollment came about because of schools who aren't very good schools, people can leave if they want. I think parents always need to be allowed to have options.
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