OPEN ENROLLMENT OPTIONS
By Suzanne M. Wilson, Treasurer
In
Ohio students are required to attend the school district in which their primary
parent or guardian resides. However,
local boards of education can choose to enroll students who live outside the
district through open enrollment. This
option authorizes students to attend school tuition-free in a district other than
the district where their parents reside.
I thought readers would be interested in learning more about the facts
surround this unique enrollment option.
School
boards can choose one of two open enrollment plans. One is to offer enrollment for students
living only in districts with boundaries bordering the district of residence. The second option is to offer enrollment to
students state-wide. Districts may not
discriminate in any way when accepting students via open-enrollment, but can
set a limit on the number of students to be accepted in each school year.
In
2014 the Vermilion Board of Education voted to opt for state-wide open enrollment
with the idea of bringing additional revenue into the district. Vermilion is one of 449 of the 615 of Ohio
districts (73%) offering open enrollment to any district in the state. There are 50 districts that offer open
enrollment only to adjacent districts, and 116 districts that have chosen not
to offer open enrollment to any students outside their own district.
During
the 2015-16 school year Vermilion enrolled 135 students via this program. About 100 students opted to leave Vermilion
to open enroll in other districts. The
reasons parents choose open enrollment are varied, but we find that many
parents who enroll their children outside Vermilion do so for work, day care or
after-school care. Many of our students
who are open enrolled outside Vermilion for Kindergarten or first grade choose
to come back to their home school as they get older.
For
revenue purposes, the State of Ohio treats open-enrolled students the same as resident
students. Districts report a total
number of students attending, and are provided with per-pupil revenue for each
student. In this way dollars are
generated for each student enrolled.
However, the district must carefully decide how many new students it can
educate without significantly increasing expenditures. In 2015-2016 fiscal year the net income to
the District from our open enrollment program is approximately $235,350. We have been able to increase our numbers
without adding to our staffing or program costs.
The
Vermilion Local School District offers a one to one laptop initiative for
grades 6 through 12, and iPods plus laptop access in classrooms for grades K to
5. The focus of instruction in our
schools is blended-learning, co-teaching and individualized instruction. We closely follow our values of
personalization, high expectation, innovation, communication and building
relationships. Vermilion High School
offers alternative learning programs for students who qualify, online courses
and College Credit Plus. Our district
boasts a newly renovated High School and Middle School, as well as a brand new
Elementary School all located on one campus, surrounding our athletic complex
and field house.
Parents
of students who live outside of Vermilion Schools but are interested in
learning more should contact the Principal at the school your child would like
to attend. If you decide this option is
right for your child, enrollment can be completed online at http://www.vermilionschools.org/Parents.aspx
