MOUNT VERNON — Open enrollment is one school choice option available to parents of school-aged children. Open enrollment means a pupil of one school district may attend school in another district, provided the proper application is made and accepted by the school districts involved. Most school districts in the area, except Centerburg, will open enroll students from neighboring districts, usually on a space-available, first-come, first-served basis.
The reasons for open enrollment are varied. According to area superintendents, actual school facilities seem to have a minimal impact on parents’ decision to send their children to a school outside their district of residence. The price of gasoline doesn’t seem to be a factor, either, they said, although the length of a bus ride from home to the school may be an element in the decision to open enroll into another district.
At Fredericktown, for example, unofficial numbers indicate 48 students have open enrolled out of the district, while 97 are coming into the district from elsewhere, all for different reasons. Superintendent Dan Humphrey said some of the incoming students may be from families who have moved from the district, but want to continue to attend Fredericktown. He said some students may open enroll to Fredericktown because it is smaller than Mount Vernon, or because of the district’s pre-engineering program.
For some outgoing students, it is baby-sitting issues, Humphrey said. A family may live on the edge of the district, but the parents work in Mansfield and the baby-sitter is in Bellville, so the children attend Clear Fork schools. For others, it is program opportunities available in a larger school district. He said Fredericktown district residents may send their children to Mount Vernon schools because of the advantages of the music program, such as orchestra, or more advanced science offerings.
Athletic programs are another reason students open enroll outside their resident district. If the student is going to open enroll to play high school sports, the decision must be made before the students enters high school; otherwise it may be necessary for the student to sit out of the sport for a year due to Ohio High School Athletic Association residential eligibility rules.
At North Fork, approximately 115 students are open enrolled into the district, and about 68 attend school in another district. Superintendent Scott Hartley said new buildings might have an impact on students’ desires to attend, but believes activities, academics and peers play a larger role in that decision.
Clear Fork Superintendent Dan Freund said 109 out-of-district students are enrolled in the district this year, and 58 Clear Fork district residents attend school somewhere else.
“My opinion is people come for programs,” he said, “not necessarily for new buildings. Our elementary buildings are among the oldest in the state.”
Last year, approximately 66 children entered the East Knox school district and about 210 open enrolled out of the district. Since per-pupil state foundation funding — roughly $5,000 — follows the student, school districts benefit when a child open enrolls into the district. East Knox, treasurer Jessica Busenburg said, loses a significant amount of money each year to other districts.
