Trustees unanimously voted Dec. 16 to postpone the item due to uncertainty surrounding the policy change.
What’s happening?
On Dec. 4, the board policy committee discussed possible changes to the district’s limited open enrollment policy, and the board further discussed the policy change at its Dec. 9 meeting.
The new policy would allow “the superintendent the authority to accept or reject any transfer request, provided that such action is without regard to race, religion, color, sex, disability, national origin or ancestral language,” according to district agenda documents.
Currently, CCISD’s limited open enrollment program allows students in pre-K through 12th grade who reside outside of the district’s attendance boundaries to attend CCISD schools, as long as students meet two sets of criteria, with the first set regarding a student’s previous academic history, attendance records and discipline, officials said.
The second set, according to district agenda documents, includes the following qualifications, which guardians must currently meet in order for their student to enter into the limited open enrollment program:
- Non-resident peace officers who live within 10 miles of the district
- Non-resident military service members who live within 10 miles of the district
- Non-resident federal employees who live within 10 miles of the district
- Non-resident grandchildren of grandparents who live within CCISD’s attendance boundaries
- Students of non-resident CCISD employees
Those for
While the vote on the change has been postponed, board trustee Jeff Larson said he sees no downsides to the potential new policy as it only allows the superintendent to add additional students if they see fit.
Board trustee Scott Bowen said the potential new policy could address declining enrollment.
“Doing nothing is not really a realistic option here,” Bowen said. “Every year that we wait, we are starting farther and farther behind to come up with a solution. ... Declining enrollment is going to become a self-fulfilling prophecy if we don’t stop it.”
Board trustee Jamieson Mackay said the potential new policy will allow the district to become competitive for students.
“I think it’s important to focus on why they stay, because that’s more marketable; that’s easier to work with than trying to figure out why they left and try to create a program or something that is retroactive and it’s not going to get them back,” Mackay said. “Let’s compete with our strengths, and I think this policy allows us to do that.”
Those against
Some board trustees, including board trustee Jay Cunningham, said they believe the district isn’t ready to loosen the policy for the limited open enrollment program.
“I’m not in favor, but I think there’s more discussion that we need to have in terms of what that looks like,” Cunningham said. “I think once we open that box we’re going to expect [the superintendent] to take action on it, and the district is really not prepared to do so right now.”
Board trustee Jessica Cejka also said she believes more thought needs to be put into the potential new policy change, as it could create a larger workload for CCISD staff.
Board vice president Jonathan Cottrell noted with four out of five high schools being overcrowded, he doesn’t believe having a more open policy is the best option.
“I think we can do better. Haste makes waste, and this ... policy has been in front of us for less than a month,” Cottrell said. “We need to really have that answer as to why before we just pass a policy, put it all on the superintendent’s shoulders and her staff to figure it out. That’s what this does, that’s what it says.”
Board president Arturo Sanchez said he worried the policy would offer flexibility to families outside the district that are not currently offered to current residents, such as what school their student can go to.
However, Sanchez said this policy is important to consider due to the current “environment” in public education, which he said was not funded to the degree it should be. That, he said, takes away from the district’s focus.
“This is not how CCISD was founded,” Sanchez said. “This is a very different strategy and a very different consideration that reflects an environment that is drastically different across public education overall. If we were funded at a level that we should be per student ... these are not conversations we’d be having and our focus would be on ensuring that students are receiving the best education they could receive. But instead we have to focus on this.”
What’s next
Superintendent Karen Engle said the district and board will continue to have “rigorous discussion” on the potential new policy.
The board of trustees will consider the new policy at its Feb. 24 board meeting.
