Spreadsheet: 009e9fdb-fd25-40b9-a44c-4d96733a4166
Sheet: bizformitem_bizform_open_enroll

Open_enrollmentID | Name (optional) | (optional) | (4,000 characters [NAME]) | Form inserted | Form updated
1 | [NAME] |  | Being a family that lives in a failing school district. I hope for the future of my kids to be able to open enroll in a neighboring school district. How many of us work in these cities and pay taxes to them and to the city we live in? how many of us shop and give patronage to these cities? How many of us have relatives living in these cities paying taxes but don't have kids to send to school? I love my city, I have lived here the majority of my life, the city itself doesn't bug me, but the way this city is run does. I cannot and will not send my child to these schools. I went to them, I cant tell you stories. Please consider something for the kids. For the people who want to live in a different city but can't. If our kids are allowed to attend you school, even for somewhat of a payment (it couldn't be as outlandish at catholic schools) wouldn't we be more apt to move to your city when we could? Parents dont want to move their kids from school to school. Of we are that interested in finding a way for our children to go to a better school and have stability, why would we yank them out to move somewhere different? Put the children on probation periods, academic watch, behavior watch, monitor them, see that they aren't just coming to "ruin" your school, just looking for a better place. be happy they are looking at your school. Welcome them. Charge them if you may, but welcome them, please, for the sake of good families with not the means others do. | 11/8/2013 8:51:04 PM | 11/8/2013 8:51:04 PM
2 |  |  | I open enroll my child for many reasons. First, the elementary facilities at Chillicothe are horrendous. The buildings are run down, and the staff I have spoken to don't even send their own children to the school. I should not be forced to send my child to a district that puts a levy on the ballot due to a budget crisis and then gives the supt. a raise and also spends thousands on new "cleaning equipment" for the million dollar athletic complex. When the district can be financially responsible I would consider sending my child there. | 11/11/2013 9:31:52 PM | 11/11/2013 9:35:39 PM
3 | [NAME] | [EMAIL] | My name is [NAME], EMIS Coordinator for the Ashtabula Area City Schools.  We are struggling both academically and financially due to open enrollment.  Present data as follows 481 students going out OE 27 students coming in through OE.  Going out 89% white; 94% non Disabled 81% non Disadvantaged.  Ashtabula 69% White; 20% disabled 73% disadvantaged.  I would like to be part of the solution, thank you. | 11/12/2013 1:44:36 PM | 11/12/2013 1:44:36 PM
4 |  |  | asdsadsa | 11/12/2013 2:28:29 PM | 11/12/2013 2:28:29 PM
5 |  |  | asdsadsa | 11/12/2013 2:28:29 PM | 11/12/2013 2:28:29 PM
6 |  |  | asdsadsa | 11/12/2013 2:28:29 PM | 11/12/2013 2:28:29 PM
7 |  |  | Virtual schools are killing our public schools.  All schools have the opportunity to attrack families by their performance and created school climate.  Ohio tax dollars are Ohio tax dollars that help fund Ohio schools, open enrollment just puts the options and choice where it belongs, in the hands of parents.  All schools face a funding deficit because the legislator is breaking the constitution of Ohio by ignoring the Ohio Supreme Court. Why is open enrollment all of [NAME] sudden becoming the scapegoat? City schools are the only ones that suffer due to diversity fears of rural Ohioians. | 11/12/2013 9:00:09 PM | 11/12/2013 9:00:58 PM
8 |  |  | Open enrollment  only hurts the districts that are hard hit by the economy and it only deepen the ability for the student to better themselves. It takes away the money that is needed to raise the level of education in hard hit areas.The requirements should be you can only enroll in a district that is a certain amount of miles away from where you live.This will require people to have to move and you know what kind of problem that could create..I say do away with open enrollment and this will help keep the field of learning equal fro all. | 11/13/2013 8:54:09 AM | 11/13/2013 8:54:09 AM
9 | [NAME] | [EMAIL] | I feel the idea of open enrollment to some degree recognizes the fact that all school districts are not equal (for many different reasons) and allows parents to choose a district they feel more adequately represents the expectations of their child's educational experience. Having said that, to some degree there can be some serious repercussions for school districts that lose substantial portions of their student body to neighboring districts. First, athletics can be the source of some parental decisions to enroll students to a different district. Although I would say that a parent have every right to do this is they feel it is the right decision, I am not sure that this was the goal of the idea of open enrollment when the concept was created. If a parent feels that their student is not receiving appropriate instruction, differentiation, academic atmosphere, etc...I understand as a parent their frustration. However, moving kids to districts that have better programs only perpetuates inequality in athletics, and to some degree, never allows certain districts to create a base for competition - which only continues problems with student morale and pride. More importantly is the business behind student enrollment. If [NAME] "A" loses 100-150 students to neighboring districts, that is hundreds of thousands of dollars that the district loses in money. To some degree, that district is forced to enroll neighboring students from districts who have been kicked out for various reasons to recoup some of that lost money. The student body can become defined as being catering to a certain group. Whether its athletics or academics, open enrollment in my opinion continues the cycle of defining districts as "good districts" and "bad districts" and does nothing to create solutions (many socio-economic) to the problems many rural or urban districts face. This is a controversial issue, and I acknowledge (as an educator) that districts to some degree have to be accountable with coming up with approaches to improve student morale, instruction, coaching, etc...however, in districts with little to no tax base due to economic issues, open enrollment, whole heartedly perpetuates academic and athletic inequality. I see this everyday in the district I teach at in Ashtabula County. | 11/13/2013 9:06:04 AM | 11/13/2013 9:09:59 AM
10 | [NAME], Principa | [EMAIL] | The math is pretty straight forward here in the Ashtabula Area City School District. We currently have approximately 479 students attending other schools on Open Enrollment which adds up to around $2.2 million. Many of these students received their PK-5 or 6 education in AACS then parents decided to open enroll in a neighboring district for Middle/Junior and High School. Almost, if not, all of the 479 students pass the OAA and OGT as they come from families who have the resources to transport them to and from school everyday and they received a quality primary/elementary education. If these 479 students still attended the Ashtabula Area City Schools, we would likely not be in School Improvement year 10+ (or more) and would not have had to make $800,000 to $1,500,000 in cuts in staffing, educational programming, busing, athletics, etc. over the past 7 years. | 11/13/2013 9:07:47 AM | 11/13/2013 9:07:47 AM
11 |  |  | I feel open enrollment hurts the schools.  I like the 'old-n-days' of families must live in the district they attend, and if they want to attend a different district, they must pay 'tuition.' | 11/13/2013 9:39:33 AM | 11/13/2013 9:39:33 AM
12 |  |  | II work in a school district that has been impacted greatly by open enrollment.  Our town has been at the poverty level for many years and I do not see that problem improving at all,  it just gets worse. Our total enrollment is approx. 3400 students.  We have lost 479 students to open enrollment and have gained only 23.  Not to mention the number of students lost due to attending online state sanctioned schools.  Needless to say, the students leaving per factual figures are non-minority, non-disadvantaged, and non-special needs students.  In fact, the enrolling schools have turned down the special needs family member but accepted the regular students of the same family in many instances.  This of course puts our district at a disadvantage with having, let us say, not the cream of the crop, so of course our report card suffers.  We have a hardworking staff who feels like they are butting their heads up against the wall and it seems the state is more a detriment than a help.  All these on line schools and charter schools are not being scrutinized.  It is almost as if the state is trying to make the public schools fail, not to mention that school funding was ruled illegal many years ago and nothing has been done to correct that illegality.  I do not think me, as an everyday taxpayer would have that choice to just ignore the law. | 11/13/2013 9:41:54 AM | 11/13/2013 9:41:54 AM
13 | Sheryl Cerni | [EMAIL] | Over the years I have witnessed Open Enrollment cripple the Ashtabula Area School District. It has allowed bordering school districts to recruit students. Districts can now pick and choose students based on test scores and athletic ability, increasing their test scores and strengthening their sports teams. Student transfers usually occur after completion of grades 3 and 6. Not only have we suffered the loss of test scores for our district report card but the funding that goes with these students. Students that are still sitting in our classrooms feel the effects. Reduction in staff and transportation. Taxes funding schools should not be given to other districts. The Ashtabula Area School District have new buildings and outstanding teachers. Our teachers are responsible for the early education of these students that is now being awarded to another district. | 11/13/2013 10:20:55 AM | 11/13/2013 10:20:55 AM
14 | [NAME] | [EMAIL] | Open Enrollment should not be allowed because what it does is makes larger class sizes that were not planned for a specific school so then the children that do live in the district get put in larger classrooms and then parents who live in that district get upset because it makes for a teacher to be spread much thinner to help the all the students in the classroom.  Also, many times it is not based on going to another system because of educational values, it is mostly because of athletic reasons and so it does not allow students to participate in some sports because students from other districts came in open enrollment and a student who lives in that district might get cut from the team and would not have if the open enrollment students were not there.  I am 58 years old and when going to school there was none of this moving from one district to another for whatever reason.  We are creating systems with large numbers of students getting lots of money to provide better materials for their students and systems who have great teachers but because of open enrollment students are going to other systems and that school looses the funding and the students who stay and live their don't have the same equal opportunities for materials that are needed.  I live in Madison, Ohio and I am watching my granddaughter in an overcrowded class and school because students are open enrollment from Ledgemont which now hurts my granddaughter and hurts the students who stayed at Ledgemont.  Students need to go to the school system they live in and if the parents don't like that then there are private school they can pay and send their child too.  Give schools and students the same treatment.  Lots of great teachers and I believe that sports will be more fair to all.  Also, the way we fund schools has been deemed unconstitutional but have we done anything to change that?  Let's give my grandchildren the best education.  Time to look at our educational system and get back to teaching not testing. | 11/13/2013 10:55:35 AM | 11/13/2013 10:55:35 AM
15 | [NAME] | [EMAIL] | Open enrollment is the worst concept ever created.It is a travesty. It has encouraged / caused recruiting of "exceptional" students and bias toward special education children and children of color. It has ruined communities and pitted neighbor against neighbor. It has deteriorated community pride.  It is the ruination of public education.  It allows and encourages districts to pick and choose who they want attending their district. My district has seen again and again children REFUSED because they are on IEPs. We have a family who unfortunately open enrolled. The neighboring district accepted their 2 "typical" sons and refused their special needs daughter. How is that acceptable?  What is most infuriating is when a child is educated in a district for example, for 8 years.  That child then open enrolls and is accepted because of great grades. That district who possibly only educated that child for 2 months gets that child's scores. It is ludicrous!   IT NEEDS TO END!  You live in a district, YOU ATTEND THAT DISTRICT. My district had principals from neighboring districts CALLING our schools and inquiring if a child is bright, a behavior problem, what his /her grades are. It is disgusting. We have seen people passing judgement on our district who have NEVER walked our halls, experienced our classrooms.  The fact that it was ever allowed is mind boggling. | 11/13/2013 11:07:21 AM | 11/13/2013 11:07:36 AM
16 | [NAME] | [EMAIL] | I believe that if employees (teachers)  in one district Open Enroll their child/children to a neighboring district because their spouse teaches in another district, then the receiving district should be responsible for providing health care benefits.  If a family lives in one district, their children should attend the district in which they reside. Support your own community! | 11/13/2013 12:02:46 PM | 11/13/2013 12:02:46 PM
17 |  |  | I teach in a high poverty area. Many of the families that do have money choose to enroll their kids in the local catholic school or neighboring schools in rural areas. This truly impacts the way most of the students view themselves, the way people moving to the area view our school, attendance, and test scores. I feel that there should be more of a legitimate reason for enrolling your child outside or your residential district other than that school is "bad." | 11/13/2013 12:05:41 PM | 11/13/2013 12:05:41 PM
18 | [NAME] | [EMAIL] | Open enrollment has significantly hurt the Ashtabula Area City School District for years. And its steady increase year after year does not look promising for the future. Although there are many factors which contribute to the mass exodus in the district, word of mouth is the strongest form of advertisement. Once a few ‘good’ standing citizens move their children to a district that they ‘think’ does a better job, it is almost natural that the flood gates open in the years to come.  Unfortunately, the city of Ashtabula was hard hit in the 70’s & 80’s with many of its major factories moving out and this prompted the city officials to invite a deluge of housing projects to assist those now on welfare because of the loss of jobs. Well over 30 years later, there are 2-3 generations of people who have never worked a day in their lives and depend solely on the government for everything. As the registrar of the district, I see more and more unemployed people heading this way than ever, and the more of them that move in, the more middle to upper class move out (or open enroll out!). Ashtabula Area City Schools has lost the balance it needs to succeed.  I have two children who both received a WONDERFUL education in the Ashtabula Area City Schools. My daughter is 20 years old and a nursing student at Case Western Reserve University, president of the Student Nurses Association and president of her sorority. She is involved with the Turning Point Society and works at University Hospital as a nursing assistant. She is also on the [NAME]’s list with a 3.8 GPA. She says her math and science teachers at [NAME] prepared her very well for college. My son is currently a senior at Lakeside and will go on to college this fall. They both feel that the education they received here has prepared them well for college.  In my opinion, if we had the 479 students (and the $2,283,899 lost) in our district that are currently open-enrolled to the surrounding districts, our report card would be excellent! We may not have had to beg our homeowners to pass a levy (which has continued to fail for the past several years), and the ‘Pay-to-Play’ fees may be less than $250 per sport and rising. School funding STILL needs to be fixed, but adding our loss of funding with Open-Enrollment is surely killing this district. It’s great for the surrounding districts and I’m sure they don’t want to lose the ‘extra’ funding they receive from Ashtabula, but it’s time to make people realize that a good education is usually brought on by the parents themselves and to stop blaming districts. It’s true that the environment in Ashtabula has changed to a much higher poverty level, but there are the same opportunities here today that existed years ago. If prejudice causes parents to choose a different school disctrict, they should move out of the district. We need to get the balance back in order to be a healthy district once again. Thank you. | 11/13/2013 4:53:55 PM | 11/13/2013 4:56:26 PM
19 | [NAME] | [EMAIL] | The state of Ohio needs to END open enrollment. What started as a 5 year experiment has ruined school districts and communities.  I have watched neighbors recruiting children to go to districts outside their the one in their own community. When I've inquired "why"  I have been told, "We think it's better."  When asked for reasons why it is better, they can give none. People need to support their community and school system. Districts surrounding the district I live in make out quite well with open enrollment.  That is because their test scores show great improvement. Why? They refuse special need children / children on IEPs.  They often refuse children from economically disadvantaged homes. They pick and choose who they allow to open enroll. It's discrimination.Some districts have gone so far as to call and ask about children.  If they can't find out everything they want from the home school, they go to outside sources.  It has also caused the recruitment of athletes. Just ask the Ohio Athletic Association where their greatest problems occur. The recruitment of athletes.  [NAME] is morally wrong, ethically wrong and caused the greatest deterioration in public education since segregation.  In fact, it has caused the resurection of it.  We have sunk to an all time low. | 11/13/2013 6:14:48 PM | 11/13/2013 6:14:48 PM
20 | [NAME] |  | I am a recent graduate of Penn State. I attended a wonderful high school (Lakeside in Ashtabula). I received a great education which enabled me to graduate with a degree in biology. This same high school - where I always felt safe,respected and valued - has fallen victim to open enrollment. Lakeside has always had more diversity than schools in neighboring communities.  It is because of this that I know many open enroll.  Open enrollment has promoted reverse racism. In addition, I would like to know how the state can justify a school district getting credit for the test scores of a student they had for maybe a month?  A student can attend 1 district for 10 years, open enroll to another, take a state test in the fall and the new district gets the score?  How can that be deemed acceptable?  I've seen recruitment being done and rumor mills thriving from people who want to justify themselves from turning their backs on their local schools.  Open enrollment has encouraged "selectism"  with districts going to great lengths to see if a student won't "hurt" them in test scores or attendance ratings.   Open enrollment is wrong on so many levels I would need 20,000 characters, not 4,000. And in a state where property tax pays into education - is the state naive to believe people who open enroll support local school levies?  No way.  It needs to end. | 11/13/2013 7:05:53 PM | 11/13/2013 7:05:53 PM
21 | Lew Ewry | [EMAIL] | It would be beneficial if students could be sent back to their home districts for poor attendance, discipline, etc.   This process should be a privilege not a right.   Also, we don't choose our students.  There are very few reasons that students can be denied.   I think districts need to have more control in this area as well, especially in the areas of discipline and attendance.  I believe school staff should be able to take their students to any district they work in without penalty,especially in athletics.  If a student plans on going full time post secondary they should have to do so through their home school and not through open enrollment | 11/13/2013 9:48:15 PM | 11/13/2013 9:48:15 PM
22 | [NAME] | [EMAIL] | I would like the task force to evaluate who is NOT accepted upon request to enter a school via open enrollment.  [NAME] who are not shining stars in sports or who may have an IEP for a simple learning disability are being turned away from many schools.  [NAME] are being turned away, with no reason given, just an I'm sorry not accepted.  This kind of open enrollment is unfair.  It stacks the deck unevenly.  I think they should either open the doors for all or none. | 11/14/2013 7:54:46 AM | 11/14/2013 7:55:34 AM
23 |  |  | Open enrollment to the private schools and the community schools are killing us here in Southern Ohio.  Not only do we have to support the special need students, they are taking our resources.  The open enrollment concept was a good one, however, mostly the other districts only take the cream of the crop and leave the behaviors and special needs for us. | 11/14/2013 9:15:34 AM | 11/14/2013 9:15:34 AM
24 |  |  | Please take open enrollment off the home schools books.  We are not only using our state funding, but our local tax money if being shipped to the other districts.  This is not known by the public and with a large open enrollment out population, it is hard to pass levies because those families do not believe their tax money is going to their students. | 11/14/2013 9:16:37 AM | 11/14/2013 9:16:37 AM
25 | [NAME] | [EMAIL] | Upper Scioto Valley is a small rural district with around 600 students.  We have for many years had a negative open enrollment number of over 100.  Over 15% of our students leave the district. | 11/14/2013 12:56:17 PM | 11/14/2013 12:56:17 PM
26 |  |  | School Funding in Ohio is already unconstitutional.  Open enrollment has had DEVASTATING effects on local school districts. In Ashtabula, several parents transport their children to another district to avoid the minority students.  Ashtabula now has disproportionate number of students who: are on free or reduced lunch; come from low to no income families; come from single parent homes; students with disabilities; students with I.E.P.'s and a large number of students who come from a lower socio-economic status.  NCLB's intent was to allow students (like the ones mentioned above) a choice AFTER attending a failing school. Several of Ashtabula's more affluent, proficient students are leaving and bringing their proficient scores with them to other districts. In other words, many families do not want their children in a classroom with "those" kids--the minority students who just happen to be African American. Not many people openly admit it, but do so in private. | 11/14/2013 2:02:02 PM | 11/14/2013 2:02:02 PM
27 | Denny Recker | [EMAIL] | Open enrollment is, and always has been, an example of "school choice". The first schools in Ohio that field tested this, one of them being Arcadia Local, realized student population gains from a neighboring city school, and saw the state revenue generated as a supplement to their budget. The first year, there was no loss of revenue to the district losing students, so no "harm" was being felt by either district.  In essence, open enrollment is a state mandated transfer of tax dollars from one district to another. A receiving district receives the state share of per pupil funding (somewhat harmless),  but then receives the local share (theft). In addition, a family might have a school tax liability of $2,500 annually per child, but the receiving district receives $5,800 per child, and multiples of that amount for additional children attending. e.g. 3 times $5800,or $17,400 of local dollars being sent, plus the belief that their local school needs no more support at the ballot since their children attend a different school anyways.  The "genie is out of the bottle" on this one, and the only fair "solution" would be to compensate the districts with a net loss of students with a state subsidy. As a matter of principle, I would not ask board approval of open enrollment for ten years. When faced with an operating deficit, I recanted, and within three years generated over a million dollars in revenue from neighboring districts, which I was able to "steal"  from them, using open enrollment as the vehicle to gain those dollars.  The school I now serve loses nearly $700,000 annually to other districts, so I've seen both sides of the issue. | 11/14/2013 2:13:00 PM | 11/14/2013 2:13:00 PM
28 | [NAME] | [EMAIL] | Open Enrollment has become a way for certain districts to recruit the "better" students because they often want to see test scores before accepting them. And often Special Education students are NOT accepted for O.E. Districts like Ashtabula Area City Schools are already hurting financially due to state and federal funding cuts and allowing students' families' to pick and choose which district to send their children to school hurts us even more. If a town is good enough to live in and buy a home, it should certainly be good enough to send your children to school there. | 11/14/2013 3:47:18 PM | 11/14/2013 3:48:21 PM
29 |  |  | I feel open enrollment hurt school districts. If funding is by house taxes and you child goes to another school district you are not supporting either school district. I'm sure they never vote for a levy in the school district they live in and they can't vote for a levy where they send their children. We bought a house where we wanted our children to attend school and I feel that it is only right that everyone supports their own schools | 11/14/2013 5:24:05 PM | 11/14/2013 5:24:05 PM
30 |  |  | Districts like ours have been put at a significant disadvantage by open enrollment.  Specifically, neighboring districts are benefiting financially far more by enrolling our kids than we could ever receive by enrolling their kids.  Their is also another piece that seems deeply unfair, namely that the current DOE procedures cause our district's taxpayers to effectively subsidize our neighboring districts.  The solutions are not easy.  In fact, the best solution might well be that students can open enroll into any district, but no money follows them other than the amount of the state foundation payment due to the student's chosen district, not the old district.  Under this approach no transfer of local tax dollars would occur, directly or indirectly.  Open enrollment would remain as an competitive incentive for districts to improve and/or be the best possible.  However, tax dollars would remain with the district in which they are raised AND the incentive to raid neighboring districts would be dramatically reduced. | 11/14/2013 8:22:45 PM | 11/14/2013 8:22:45 PM
31 | [NAME] | [EMAIL] | At Fostoria City Schools, we take in around 30 students for open enrollment and lose around 380+ students.  This is detrimental to our future.  This year we had many student move into the district from boarding schools and open enroll out.  Our funding was capped based on last year's numbers, so even though our ADM went up - we do not see any of that money and the additional 50 students leaving at 5745 per student is cutting into this capped funding that we did not plan for.  In addition, with having a catholic school in our district and 380+ kids leaving our chances of voting in new money is limited because OE parents are mostly no votes or do not support us.  Something needs to change in how open enrollment is funded because the money leaves our district and then we are unable to pass levies due to a lack of support. | 11/15/2013 9:17:48 AM | 11/15/2013 9:17:48 AM
32 | [NAME] | [EMAIL] | Dear Mr. [NAME] and Task Force Members, I am writing to you as a representative of a coalition of taxpayers from Coventry Township and the Coventry Local School District.   We are deeply concerned about the way CLSD utilizes the Open Enrollment process and believe that it has placed a tremendous burden on the taxpayers within the district.  To compound the problem, the District is about to begin construction of a new High School and renovation of the elementary and middle schools all based on a student population of which approximately 36% are Open Enrolled students.     CLSD has been on fiscal watch for over 16 years and CLSD has, by far, the greatest number of Open Enrolled students in the State.  We don’t believe that this is a coincidence. I am extremely pleased to see that the State has commissioned this Task Force.   In our efforts to communicate our concerns, we have had discussions with multiple individuals within the ODE and State House of Representatives.  All pointed out that these decisions (OE) were made at the local level and they had no interest in getting involved.  Open Enrollment needs State guidelines.   As long as the State continues to fund an unlimited number of OE students especially at higher levels than it fund’s a district’s resident students, some administrators will look at this as a windfall income opportunity and ignore the financial burden placed on the local taxpayers. Since we are limited to 4000 characters in this process, I am going to send to your work email a package of letters and data which evaluates the financial impact of OE on the Coventry School District.  We believe that Open Enrollment could be costing the taxpayers of CLSD upwards of $2,500,000 per year to support. We look forward to learning of the Task Force’s recommendations, and a response to our analysis. Thank you very much for your consideration, [NAME], Treasurer Coventry Schools Taxpayers Accountability Coalition | 11/17/2013 9:59:17 AM | 11/17/2013 9:59:41 AM
33 | [NAME] |  | I have come to the firm conclusion that open enrollment is nothing more segregation.  What our leaders once fought against, the state of Ohio has embraced with open arms.  There is NO positive to come from it.  It separates the "haves" from the "have nots"  and often separates races. It allows districts to gain an unearned reputation of excellence when in reality they have done nothing more than recruit.  I was told once that it was suppose to be a 5 year experiment.  In true government fashion, eyes were closed and backs were turned.   If people want their children to attend a certain district, move there.  I know of families with special needs children who were refused open enrollment.  Yet, their neighbors with high functioning children were accepted. It's disgusting.   I have also heard tales of districts accepting students, waiting for "count week" and then returning them to the school they should have attended.  When will someone is government face the truth - it needs to end! | 11/18/2013 7:07:20 PM | 11/18/2013 7:07:27 PM
34 | [NAME] | [EMAIL] | Open enrollment is not going away.  That being said, fund students where they are educated and not where they reside.  This will eliminate the accounting of open enrollment ins/outs.  If you do this there will be winners and losers.  Don't get caught up in this debate.  We all know that resident students educated in their 'home' districts are not fully funded.  The amount is reduced by the new local share.  This should hold true for students being educated outside their home district. | 11/19/2013 11:47:03 AM | 11/19/2013 11:47:03 AM
35 |  |  | Thank you for creating the task force.  This job will be immense.  A few concerns we have with the open enrollment process involves the transient students.  We have had multiple students move into our district before count week only to rent while permanent housing is built in a neighboring district.  Once permanent housing is complete they move back to attending district.  We should not bear the cost of a student who starts in one district and plans to return but because count week took place when it did we lost the difference between our state share and the full open enrollment amount being deducted.   I look forward to the results of this task force | 11/19/2013 12:52:50 PM | 11/19/2013 12:52:50 PM
36 | Kimberly Moyer,Treas | [EMAIL] | Questions for the Funding Subcommittee.     The state funding for an open enrollment student is different for each district based upon state and local funding. Open Enrollment within our County affects school districts in drastically different manners.   The SSI for West Muskingum Local School District is 34% (1,953 per student) in comparison to an adjoining boundary district with an SSI of 68% (3,907 per student.)  The local share differs by $1,954 per student in this comparison. Is there a calculation that would maintain the competitive concept of open enrollment while funding the students in and out at a standard local versus state percentage; a formula calculation which fairly distributes local dollars being transferred based upon individual SSI calculations of district of residence?  Possibly transferring total state funding (Line item O of formula) divided by ADM of resident district for each open enrolled student out, this option would transfer no local dollars.  Option 2 - transfer SSI of resident district applied to $5745 plus a standard fixed dollar figure for local share of contribution?  Option 3 - Use open enrollment counts in the ADM funding totals "above the line" rather than calculating as a deduction or credit - which would more accurately reflect per pupil calculations throughout the formula.  This option would also require an enrollment software sophisticated enough to track the students statewide.  The current open enrollment software needs to be evaluated and updated to integrate with existing softwares rather than being a stand alone system as currently exists. | 11/19/2013 1:42:44 PM | 11/19/2013 1:43:25 PM
37 |  |  | Open Enrollment has become a money-making incentive for districts in need of money, like my own.  We count on increasing numbers of OEs to get some much-needed cash.  The unintended consequence for local residents is that their children have larger and larger class sizes for their own children.  It is yet another symptom of our failed school-funding process. | 11/19/2013 1:42:51 PM | 11/19/2013 1:42:51 PM
38 |  |  | Allow school districts to pick and choose students like private schools do who are currently getting vouchers. | 11/19/2013 2:50:33 PM | 11/19/2013 2:50:33 PM
39 |  |  | My concern with any change in the open enrollement policy in Ohio is the students already OE to a district.  I have difficulty telling a student who has OE in my district for years that starting next year, you will need to go back to your home district.  Whatever policy that you look at, please grandfather in the students already in the pipeline.    As to the OE policy, my support is for the policy that we currently have in place.  It is a benefit to my district. | 11/19/2013 3:44:22 PM | 11/19/2013 3:44:22 PM
40 |  |  | Instead of open enrollment, parents should receive vouchers that can be used for private schools.  The teacher/student ratio increases with open enrollment, and many parents prefer to see a smaller classroom size (for more individualized instruction).   Therefore, Ohio should cancel open enrollment. | 11/19/2013 3:53:08 PM | 11/19/2013 3:53:08 PM
41 |  |  | Stop open enrollment--we're losing too much money!! | 11/19/2013 4:35:09 PM | 11/19/2013 4:35:09 PM
42 |  |  | Through open enrollment our district can offer more educational opportunities, more class offerings, the money helps to keep our district fiscally sound and helps students from neighboring district come to a district that they feel is safer.  I personally feel everyone should have a choice and to take that opportunity away for the public would be wrong. | 11/19/2013 8:50:04 PM | 11/19/2013 8:50:04 PM
43 |  |  | Open Enrollment provides an opportunity for families to place their child in a school that they prefer. It's a good idea, but there needs to be more control given to the schools to determine whether or not the child will be accepted.    Discipline issues, grades, along with attendance need to be considered when allowing the student to come to the school and when determining whether or not the child can stay.  Don't tie the hands of the principals from making good decisions for their buildings.  Allow them to make these decisions based upon data collected.  Most of us are willing to work with families if they feel a change in schools will benefit their child.  However, if that child is bringing down the rest of the students due to behavior, then the school needs an out (not all students are suspended for their inappropriate behavior).    Principals are on the front line with these decisions, give them the power to make these decisions. | 11/20/2013 8:11:01 AM | 11/20/2013 8:11:01 AM
44 |  |  | Please make it a requirement with financial withholding that the educating district supply the resident district with complete demographic/application information within 30 days of enrollment. Some of the larger districts are not informing resident districts but are reporting the students in EMIS. Funding is transferred from the resident district without any knowledge of who the students are. | 11/20/2013 8:25:15 AM | 11/20/2013 8:25:39 AM
45 |  |  | How will competitive district interests be balanced in the recommendations?  ie: Some districts benefit and others negatively impacted from student loss.    The hope would be that recommendations be made based on increasing student opportunities for success. | 11/20/2013 8:47:27 PM | 11/20/2013 8:47:27 PM
46 | [NAME] | [EMAIL] | Open enrollment, which has drastically affected Sandusky City Schools, is, in my opinion,strictly a black/white issue, and has very little to do with curricular offerings, the caliber of staff, or the extra-curricular opportunities afforded our students. Offering open enrollment from an urban to a suburban district, in this case, was strictly a financial move for the suburban district, and it has created an even greater divide in our communities. The diversity that [NAME] strive to showcase as the way the world is today, has declined dramatically due to open enrollment. Using open enrollment strictly for financial gain was NOT the intent of this law. Accepting children until the State "count"  then sending them back to their home district is underhanded and immoral..  If a neighboring district can truly offer a better education, then yes, open enrollment should be available, but not for money, not because your boyfriend goes there, not because they have a winning football team this year, and definitely not because the person sitting next to you has a different color skin. Devastating a district for any of those reasons should not be allowed. | 11/20/2013 9:04:52 PM | 11/20/2013 9:04:52 PM
47 |  |  | One problem of open enrollment is ...it has diminished the quality of education in many rural districts.  Our district has gone from class sizes of 15-17 kids to 20-24 kids.  Now "our district" kids receive less one on one time with teacher.   It is not about the students; it's about the money that we receive.  Residents have been told several times by our superintendent ([NAME]) that without open enrollment kids, our district would suffer great financial loss.  We hear it all the time.  Now we have families that have no reason to move into our district but their kids can go there at no cost to them.  The taxpayers pay for their kids to come to our district.  The cost to educate open enroll students does not cover the amount the State gives the district. | 11/21/2013 1:30:25 PM | 11/21/2013 1:30:25 PM
48 | ASHLEE | [EMAIL] | I really wish Fairborn had an open enrollment....especially with everyone that works on WPAFB.  We just recently moved and are in Huber Heights school district but a block over they are fairborn.  I would like the consideration of students that live right on the border of a couple different districts have the option of picking their district.  Thank you | 11/22/2013 3:18:52 PM | 11/22/2013 3:18:52 PM
49 | [NAME] | [NAME] | My name is [NAME] and I am the superintendent of Lincolnview Local Schools.  Lincolnview Local School District is a small rural school district in Northwest Ohio located in Van Wert County.  Open Enrollment funding is a critical component of our funding that we have become highly dependent on.  Currently, 255 students choose to attend [NAME] via open enrollment while 118 students leave our school district via open enrollment.  We are projecting to receive a net gain in excess of $780,000 resulting from open enrollment funding for the 2013-2014 school year.  In addition, our state foundation funding has been somewhat flat-lined since fiscal year 2005, and the new biennium funding plan for the next 2 years has [NAME] on the guarantee each year.  The lack of state funding increases have caused us to become even more dependent on open enrollment funding, and if open enrollment funding is reduced/eliminated  in relation to the current methodology of open enrollment funding, the overall effects could be devastating to our school district.  Please be cognizant of districts like us throughout the state of Ohio as you examine the impact of open enrollment.  It is truly very important to our district and the monetary resources it provides to our district to educate that student who chooses to come to the Lincolnview Local Schools.  We have worked extremely hard to becoming an "excellent" district and parents in our neighboring communities have recognized this and choose to send their child to our district.  Why, should funding be taken away because of how hard we have worked to get better?  I hope that each committee member takes their time and due diligence to examine all sides and understand that the currently funding model is not broke and does not need to be fixed.  Thank you. Sincerely, [NAME], Superintendent, Lincolnview Local Schools, [EMAIL], phone:  (419)-968-2226 | [NAME] 10:21:35 AM | 11/25/2013 10:23:40 AM
50 |  | [EMAIL] | We would like to see a written policy at the state level that requires parents to prove residency in the district of residence.  Possibly annually. | 11/25/2013 12:44:55 PM | 11/25/2013 12:44:55 PM
51 |  |  | Many districts can show profit and loss due to open enrollment. that is not the issue that needs to be addressed. Why kids/families choose to go to a different district rather than the residential district is the question. If a change is to be made, I think it is too firmly entrenched and too many new problems will be raised by suddenly eliminating it without a solid plan, it needs to continue to allow students/families to choose where to go. Often change occurs due to uncontrolled bullying, closer proximity to schools, better schools, and a myriad of other very good reasons, to take this essentially FREE choice away would be unconscionable. Looking at the reasons for utilizing open enrollment options and helping schools to improve across the board AND IMPROVING FUNDING are much better issues to address. This change could create havoc--districts who have lost significant numbers may not have room for the return. Districts who bring in a large portion would lose so much income that they would be unable to function without serious cuts, if then. As I opened, this is too well entrenched to just be tossed. I taught in a district that had significant negative impact and am now with a district with significant positive impact so I have seen both sides.  As I look over the members of the committee I see representation of schools who face the same so apparently a good cross section was chosen.I encourage you to look at this with an open mind and leave the emotions of your particular district out of the equation. | 11/27/2013 8:35:16 AM | 11/27/2013 8:35:16 AM
52 | [NAME] | [EMAIL] | Our district currently has nearly thirty percent of our student population from open-enrollment students.  It would be devestating to lose this portion of our population.  Please consider keeping this valuable option available to our students. | 12/1/2013 2:41:51 PM | 12/1/2013 2:41:51 PM
53 |  | [EMAIL] | I have two children that are open enrolled at Hopewell - Loudon High School.  They are in the 3rd and 8th grade.  They have both attended [NAME] since they were in [NAME].  Our school does a first come first serve and only will allow 75 kids per grade.  I have to stand out in the freezing cold at 3am.  They open the doors at 7am.  There is always a huge line so you need to be there early.  I also work at [NAME] as a full time Aide.  I think that if someone works at a school their children should be a part of that school without having to be open enrolled.  I also feel that once your child has been accepted they should be able to attend until they graduate (as long as they are good kids and are working hard) or if one child is in the other siblings should be aloud to attend.  We chose to open enroll because my husband and I graduated from [NAME] and wanted our children to attended a small school and have the great experience we had going to a small country school.  We live in Tiffin City School district, its a nice school system but its just to big for what we want for our children.  If it came to sending our kids to Tiffin, we would just home school them.  In closing I am just asking that you really put a lot of thought into open enrollment because all kids should be able to attend the school of their choice.  I would hate to have my kids uprooted to a new school.  Thank you | 12/2/2013 2:11:57 PM | 12/2/2013 2:19:48 PM