With Changing Boundaries, the District Should Adjust the Open Transfer Policy

If parent outcries are any indication, East’s inbox this fall will be filled with transfer requests, should the boundary changes proposed by Superintendent Gene Johnson take effect. With the open enrollment policy currently in place, kids will be filing in straight from Brookwood and Trailwood. So what would be the point of the boundary changes?
Every classroom full at any given hour. Chemistry rooms with every desk filled. Elective classes confined to one hour, since there is not an extra classroom to create a second hour. This isn’t a positive environment for students, teachers or the district’s budget.
East is operating at 81 percent capacity: 2,304 students can be in the building, and currently, 1,850 students are enrolled. On the other hand, South is operating at 68 percent capacity. It makes sense to redistribute the students, to create a better environment for East and a higher enrollment for South. The maximum capacity is calculated by filling each classroom at every period of the day. By taking the average number of students per classroom (28), the total number of classrooms in the building, and the number of periods in a day (excluding seminar, so seven), the capacity can be calculated. Capacity also takes into account the number of lockers and gym lockers available. The district has to do something to cope with budgeting issues, and this is the plan.
With the open transfer policy, transferring to an in-district school is simple. A signature from Dr. Gillian Chapman, administrative manager for secondary education, the student’s current principal and the student’s parent and the student is enrolled as a transfer. Currently, 106 transfer students are in the building. Transfer students must maintain a 2.0 GPA and are not allowed bus transportation.
When making a change like this, the district has to stay consistent. Giving in to parental demands will not help the budgetary woes. Many parents have claimed they moved specifically for their child to go to East. But this is public school, and even though boundary changes are unfortunate, they are a necessary evil. Parent wants are subordinate to district needs.
However, eighth graders and students currently enrolled need not worry. In order to continue the camaraderie of the district, these students should be allowed to transfer to East. To be fair, busing should be provided to those that live in the East area and who consider themselves Lancers. Seventh graders, on the other hand, will have a year at a new middle school to adjust to their new high school boundaries. Elementary students will have even more time to adjust.
It’s public schooling. In this economic and political climate, tough calls have to be made. To protect the overall state of the district, these new boundaries have to be respected by students and parents alike.