MONROE - A new state law that extends the open enrollment period for public schools is expected to have little impact on the Monroe School District.
Gov. Scott Walker signed the bill Wednesday, Feb. 1, extending the open enrollment deadline from three weeks to three months. The open enrollment period, which begins Monday, Feb. 6, will be extended to April 30 from the original closing date of Feb. 24.
Ron Olson, Monroe's business administrator, doesn't anticipate extending the open enrollment window will hurt, nor will it help, the district. But what it will do, he said, is benefit parents who now have longer to make decisions about where to send their children.
Three weeks each February is "a pretty narrow window for parents. This gives them a little more time," he said.
Under open enrollment, parents can apply to enroll their child in a school district other than the one in which they reside without paying tuition. In doing so, the new school district picks up a significant portion of the state aid allotted for that student; this year, the figure is almost $7,000, Olson said.
Parents may apply to up to three school districts. Olson said where daycare and the parent's place of employment are located often are driving factors for open enrollment.
Typically, Monroe gains about as many students for its bricks-and-mortar schools as it loses to other districts, he said.
But that's not counting the students the district picks up for the Monroe Virtual High School, which allows students to earn a high school diploma by completing coursework online. The virtual school draws students from throughout the state who typically enroll during the open enrollment period.
Enrollment at the virtual school is about 250 this year, Olson said, down from a high of more than 400 a couple of years ago.
Olson cited increased competition for driving Monroe's enrollment numbers down: More districts are opening small online schools or otherwise incorporating an online component, giving students more choices for a virtual education.
In previous years, the district has purchased advertising in areas such as the Madison and Milwaukee markets. This year, the district "significantly cut back the ad budget" in light of budget concerns and staff reductions, Olson said. Other districts may have corporate sponsorship, allowing them to spend more money on advertising.
But Olson said he isn't overly concerned about falling numbers at the virtual school, despite the fact that the district gets state aid money for each student enrolled.
"We make a good case for who we are and what we do. We don't rely on the virtual school as a profit center," he said. Instead, the district focuses on growing "opportunities for our own students."
The new law also requires a student's home district to notify the student's new district of discipline problems; gives home districts more of a say in transfer requests; and gives parents an opportunity to appeal denied applications with the state.
Gov. Scott Walker signed the bill Wednesday, Feb. 1, extending the open enrollment deadline from three weeks to three months. The open enrollment period, which begins Monday, Feb. 6, will be extended to April 30 from the original closing date of Feb. 24.
Ron Olson, Monroe's business administrator, doesn't anticipate extending the open enrollment window will hurt, nor will it help, the district. But what it will do, he said, is benefit parents who now have longer to make decisions about where to send their children.
Three weeks each February is "a pretty narrow window for parents. This gives them a little more time," he said.
Under open enrollment, parents can apply to enroll their child in a school district other than the one in which they reside without paying tuition. In doing so, the new school district picks up a significant portion of the state aid allotted for that student; this year, the figure is almost $7,000, Olson said.
Parents may apply to up to three school districts. Olson said where daycare and the parent's place of employment are located often are driving factors for open enrollment.
Typically, Monroe gains about as many students for its bricks-and-mortar schools as it loses to other districts, he said.
But that's not counting the students the district picks up for the Monroe Virtual High School, which allows students to earn a high school diploma by completing coursework online. The virtual school draws students from throughout the state who typically enroll during the open enrollment period.
Enrollment at the virtual school is about 250 this year, Olson said, down from a high of more than 400 a couple of years ago.
Olson cited increased competition for driving Monroe's enrollment numbers down: More districts are opening small online schools or otherwise incorporating an online component, giving students more choices for a virtual education.
In previous years, the district has purchased advertising in areas such as the Madison and Milwaukee markets. This year, the district "significantly cut back the ad budget" in light of budget concerns and staff reductions, Olson said. Other districts may have corporate sponsorship, allowing them to spend more money on advertising.
But Olson said he isn't overly concerned about falling numbers at the virtual school, despite the fact that the district gets state aid money for each student enrolled.
"We make a good case for who we are and what we do. We don't rely on the virtual school as a profit center," he said. Instead, the district focuses on growing "opportunities for our own students."
The new law also requires a student's home district to notify the student's new district of discipline problems; gives home districts more of a say in transfer requests; and gives parents an opportunity to appeal denied applications with the state.