MONROE - For many years, as the calendar turned to February, school districts made their pitch during a three-week open enrollment window.
The first three full weeks in February signaled open enrollment, the period in which students can apply to attend school in a district other than the one in which they live without paying tuition. While February remains a big time for school districts advertising their schools, the state open enrollment law changed last spring. The early window for students to apply for open enrollment was extended and now runs Feb. 4 to April 30. Students can still apply for open enrollment during the school year, but they must provide a reasonable exception.
Open enrollment is now becoming a year-round business, as districts gear up to sell the benefits of their schools to those outside their boundaries.
"It's year-round now," said Ron Olson, business manager for the Monroe school district, which offers a virtual school that draws heavily from outside the district for enrollment. "We have been preparing for this to be less of a focus for us."
In fact, the Monroe School District scaled back its advertising for open enrollment. Last year, the district spent $50,000 for open enrollment advertising and this year it's set to spend $20,000. Olson said the district is not doing any television or radio advertisements, only online.
"When someone uses a search engine, we want the Monroe Virtual School to pop up," Olson said. "With our budget cuts, we don't have the finances to do it (advertise)."
According to the state Department of Public Instruction, 37,332 Wisconsin students open enrolled last year. Olson said 286 students open enrolled to Monroe at the start of the year and 93 left the district through open enrollment.
The resident district in which the student lives pays the open enrolled district that educates the student under open enrollment a flat amount per pupil for their students. According to a report by State Rep. Howard Marklein, the amount a resident district pays for the year that ended June 30, 2012, was $6,867 per pupil.
Pam Green, the Juda School District bookkeeper, said her district has set aside $2,000 for open enrollment advertising. Juda has a public relations committee that does fund-raising and has a radio ad, places ads in the paper, and hands out brochures with photos and test score data to promote the district.
Juda Superintendent Phillip Updike said the expansion of open enrollment changes the procedures for districts.
"We can reach a larger audience with more time and activities," Updike said. "We continue to market our school."
New Glarus School District Superintendent David Strudthoff said New Glarus has a 2:1 ratio when it comes to students open enrolling into the district and those leaving. For this year, for example, New Glarus had 68 students open enrolling into the district and 26 leaving for other districts.
"We benefit from open enrollment," Strudthoff said. "Since 2009, our primary source of new money has been open enrollment."
New Glarus doesn't have a big open enrollment advertising campaign.
"We just focus on providing quality education and allow the 'word of mouth' to take place in the communities," Strudthoff said.
Open enrollment can present some budgeting challenges. Strudthoff said the projected revenues for next year through open enrollment is always changing. Strudthoff said that in February, the district gets an idea of which students may open enroll to New Glarus for the 4K program and begins to get a look at kindergarten enrollment numbers for next year.
Pecatonica School District Superintendent Gary Neis said the district is hurt by open enrollment. Pecatonica had 17 students open enroll into the district and 41 enroll in other districts this year.
Neis said the district doesn't spend any money advertising for open enrollment, but there has been discussion about changing that practice.
"We feel like it will be on the merit of the school districts why people come and go," Neis said. "I think it is easier for people to open enroll. We do a good job of educating people for the future. That is what we stand behind."
Neis said the financial impact the district faces through open enrollment is unknown.
"The impact it will have on our district I won't know until this summer," he said. "We will wait and see."
The first three full weeks in February signaled open enrollment, the period in which students can apply to attend school in a district other than the one in which they live without paying tuition. While February remains a big time for school districts advertising their schools, the state open enrollment law changed last spring. The early window for students to apply for open enrollment was extended and now runs Feb. 4 to April 30. Students can still apply for open enrollment during the school year, but they must provide a reasonable exception.
Open enrollment is now becoming a year-round business, as districts gear up to sell the benefits of their schools to those outside their boundaries.
"It's year-round now," said Ron Olson, business manager for the Monroe school district, which offers a virtual school that draws heavily from outside the district for enrollment. "We have been preparing for this to be less of a focus for us."
In fact, the Monroe School District scaled back its advertising for open enrollment. Last year, the district spent $50,000 for open enrollment advertising and this year it's set to spend $20,000. Olson said the district is not doing any television or radio advertisements, only online.
"When someone uses a search engine, we want the Monroe Virtual School to pop up," Olson said. "With our budget cuts, we don't have the finances to do it (advertise)."
According to the state Department of Public Instruction, 37,332 Wisconsin students open enrolled last year. Olson said 286 students open enrolled to Monroe at the start of the year and 93 left the district through open enrollment.
The resident district in which the student lives pays the open enrolled district that educates the student under open enrollment a flat amount per pupil for their students. According to a report by State Rep. Howard Marklein, the amount a resident district pays for the year that ended June 30, 2012, was $6,867 per pupil.
Pam Green, the Juda School District bookkeeper, said her district has set aside $2,000 for open enrollment advertising. Juda has a public relations committee that does fund-raising and has a radio ad, places ads in the paper, and hands out brochures with photos and test score data to promote the district.
Juda Superintendent Phillip Updike said the expansion of open enrollment changes the procedures for districts.
"We can reach a larger audience with more time and activities," Updike said. "We continue to market our school."
New Glarus School District Superintendent David Strudthoff said New Glarus has a 2:1 ratio when it comes to students open enrolling into the district and those leaving. For this year, for example, New Glarus had 68 students open enrolling into the district and 26 leaving for other districts.
"We benefit from open enrollment," Strudthoff said. "Since 2009, our primary source of new money has been open enrollment."
New Glarus doesn't have a big open enrollment advertising campaign.
"We just focus on providing quality education and allow the 'word of mouth' to take place in the communities," Strudthoff said.
Open enrollment can present some budgeting challenges. Strudthoff said the projected revenues for next year through open enrollment is always changing. Strudthoff said that in February, the district gets an idea of which students may open enroll to New Glarus for the 4K program and begins to get a look at kindergarten enrollment numbers for next year.
Pecatonica School District Superintendent Gary Neis said the district is hurt by open enrollment. Pecatonica had 17 students open enroll into the district and 41 enroll in other districts this year.
Neis said the district doesn't spend any money advertising for open enrollment, but there has been discussion about changing that practice.
"We feel like it will be on the merit of the school districts why people come and go," Neis said. "I think it is easier for people to open enroll. We do a good job of educating people for the future. That is what we stand behind."
Neis said the financial impact the district faces through open enrollment is unknown.
"The impact it will have on our district I won't know until this summer," he said. "We will wait and see."