Can anyone tell me about the practicalities of open school enrollment?

[NotUrsula]

My state is currently considering adopting open school enrollment, and I'd like to know more about how it works in various places. I've heard all the political arguments, and I'm not asking here about that aspect. (Not allowed anyway.)

What I want to know (from people who have dealt with it) is how it works in real life: What happens if a particular district gets very popular? How does the application process work where you are? Do high-school kids like or hate it? Are there extra fees that are allowed by the program? Anything else that is important to know from a parent's perspective?

Again, PLEASE don't talk about the politics -- I really want to know what it is like to have this kind of system in place, and I'm having trouble finding people to talk to who have practical parental experience with it. I thought that asking here might give me a good cross-section of experiences, and I'd like for the thread not to get pulled on account of a topic violation.

TIA

 

[Bearvet]

In MA we have "school choice" - each year a school will vote (based on current enrollment, etc.) to decide if it will be open to school choice. You fill out an application - some schools go by first-come, first-serve, others do a lottery for tha alloted spaces.

My oldest DS did school choice becasue we felt it was the best academic opportunity for him at the time. He got an amazing education, but there were drawbacks. We had to drive 30 min. each way and since he had 2 younger brothers, it wasn't always an option for him to stay after school for sports, clubs, etc. Boy, was I happy when he got his license!

Our family also never really felt part of the school community - we were outsiders. People were nice enough, but it was different. DS even wrote his college essay about the pros and cons of this decision - being the "car pool" kids. I know there are times he second-guessed his decision (he's in college now).

The 2 younger boys decided to go to the local middle and high school (which finally got its act together) and they love their school. Course offerings are more limited since it's a much smaller school, but each boy has been able to be the "big fish in the small pond".

Bottom line: there are pros and cons to school choice and in the decisions we made. Luckily all 3 boys are doing well (knock on wood).

 

[Christine]

Can you give some more specifics about what your school district is proposing? We have a semi-open enrollment on high schools in the county I live in (not the state). It's not totally open as there are criteria for getting into the school, but it's purpose is actually to help people in the bad school zones get out. I'm just not sure if what goes on at our high school level is relevent to your situation.

 

[golfgal]

Minnesota has had statewide open enrollment for over 15 years. It is a really nice option but most people end up using it for sports transfers-but not all. You find it widely used in more rural area so kids from smaller districts can go to school in larger districts with more class offerings.

Not many districts offer transportation so the parents have to get kids back and forth, not a huge deal for most. Tax money follows the student so it is a revenue generator for districts that accept kids, those that lose kids still get a portion of the tax money into the district but with the benefit of not having to hire staff for those kids so it isn't a negative to lose the students either.

Like I said, many kids do transfer for sports so they have instituted a rule that unless you move into a district if you aren't in that school in 9th grade you lose a year of eligibility for sports.

Has it helped the inner city schools-which was what the hope was-no, not really. It has given options to kids that do want programs at other schools. We have several kids open enroll in our high school because of the band program for example.

As for the workings--you have to apply to the proposed district by mid-January of the previous year and get accepted into the new district. If you are accepted you have to apply each year. You are in danger of being bumped from that school if their enrollment increases and squeezes you out but that rarely happens because districts like to keep that money and they make it work. Most districts participate but again, if certain grades are full, you might not get in.

Generally the number of kids that open enroll hasn't effected the overall population of a school all that much so one district getting "popular" hasn't really happened--HOWEVER, the quality of 99% of the schools in our state is excellent so usually kids transfer for programs vs better academics.

 

[NotUrsula]

It isn't the school district. The proposal as it stands is state-wide. The bill makes some rules regarding class sizes and s/t ratios, and how funds will be distributed, but this is essentially the governing statement: "For the school year beginning July 1, 2010, students currently enrolled in a public school may enroll in a public school in another school district."

As the draft stands now, the law as proposed is not dependent on your own school district being unaccredited; we already have a version of that. We also have a magnet school system that is strictly accessible by lottery. This one is wide-open; it lets parents just choose.

They are still working out a lot of what the details would be, and they are going to be holding public hearings around the state to get feedback. We're hearing a lot about funding issues and poverty influences and all that, but since very few people here have ever been in position to just choose a school, I'm wondering what the pros and cons are from a family been-there/done-that POV.