Open Enrollment

OPEN ENROLLMENT

The concept of open enrollment in public schools has been around for quite some time. Several states not only allow it, but have made it mandatory in various ways. For the leadership team of a district, especially for a public school superintendent, open enrollment can be a difficult notion to fathom. There are so many issues to deal with under the umbrella of an open enrollment system that it can almost bring district planning to a screeching halt.

Within most open enrollment laws, states address special education, transportation, district capacity, and funding. In the majority of those states, parents are responsible for transportation, or at minimum, transportation to a point within the boundaries of the receiving district. In addition, most open enrollment laws specify capacity thresholds over which they will not accept nonresident students. Next, various issues around the education of students with special needs are addressed with the most common being the ability of the receiving district to meet the needs of the student as required by the student’s individualized education plan (IEP). Finally, for the laws which address funding, in most cases the per pupil expenditure is paid to the receiving district by the sending district.

Depending on the specifics of the law, planning for enrollment numbers and funding can be extremely challenging. Many states require that students apply for non-resident slots by particular dates, which would be helpful both with planning and funding, but some do not. If students were allowed to transfer without significant advanced notice, decision making regarding staffing, supplies, transportation and so much more could end up being irrelevant if enrollment numbers turn out substantially different from one year to the next, or even one semester to the next.

The funding issue makes the waters even more murky. How a state provides for proper funding of transferred students can make all the difference in...