Open Enrollment 101: The Basics

1. Open Enrollment 101:The Basics Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Public School Open Enrollment Workshops November/December 2008

2. What is Open Enrollment? • To one degree or another, open enrollment allows a student to transfer to the public school of his or her choice • Inter-district: to another school district. • Intra-district: to another school within the resident school district (local issue)

3. Two Types of Inter-District OE • Full-time open enrollment • Student transfers from one school district to another on a full-time basis. • Part-time open enrollment • High school students may take up to two courses in nonresident school districts.

4. Part-time Attendance for Private School & Home-Based Students • High school students enrolled in private school or home-based private educational program: • Must be permitted to take up to 2 courses in the resident school district, if space is available. • Resident district may count FTE for state aid, but not revenue limits.

5. Full-time Inter-District Public School Open Enrollment in Wisconsin

6. Who Can Open Enroll? • Any student in 5-year-old kindergarten to grade 12. • Prekindergarten, early childhood education and 4-year-old kindergarten: • Only if child’s resident district offers the same type of program, and • Only if child is eligible for the program in the resident school district.

7. How Does OE Work? • Parent applies in February. • Both districts review and can deny only for statutory reasons. • If approved by both districts, student can open enroll. • Parents are responsible for transportation.

8. Who Pays for OE? • Regular Education: • DPI transfers state-set amount from resident to nonresident district’s state aid. • Special Education: • No state aid transfer. • Nonresident district bills resident district for basic OE amount plus actual, additional special education costs.

9. School Boards Must Adopt Policies • Acceptance & rejection criteria. • Statement of required preferences. • Guarantees of acceptance, if any. • Reapplication requirements, if any. • Transportation. Policy changes must be adopted prior to the beginning of the application period.

10. Statistics

11. Applying for Open Enrollment Application Period: February 2-20, 2009

12. Getting Ready for the Application Period • Be sure necessary OPAL users are authorized and OPAL contact person is current. • Establish internal procedures for providing information and accepting applications. • Designate one place for receiving paper applications. • Designate one person/office to respond to questions.

13. Application Form (PI 9410) • On-line (strongly encouraged): • https://www2.dpi.state.wi.us/OpenEnrollApp/ • School districts are encouraged to link to the DPI web site or directly to the on-line form. • Paper form: • 4-part carbon-set provided to districts. • Half as many forms as last year. • Web version: please do not link to paper form. • Spanish version (on web only—ok to link).

14. Submitting an On-line Form • On-line applications are valid when the parent finishes the application, submits it and receives a confirmation number. • Should not also submit a paper form. • Both nonresident & resident districts may immediately view and print application; or may download into Excel spreadsheet.

15. Submitting a Paper Form • Must be physically submitted to the nonresident district by 4 pm on Feb 20. • Hand delivery is recommended. Postmark does not qualify. • Not to resident district or DPI. • Form submitted to wrong place should be returned ASAP. • Nonresident district should date & return copy to parent.

16. Anticipated Move • May apply in anticipation of a move: • Does not need to live in resident district or in Wisconsin to apply. • Must know 2009-10 resident district: • If unknown, may not be able to apply. • Must live in named resident district before beginning OE and at least through the 3rd Friday in September.

17. Private School, Home-based & Other Non-Enrolled Students • May apply for open enrollment. • Approve/deny same as other students. • Must enroll in resident district prior to attendance in nonresident district. • It is not necessary to enroll in the resident district prior to application.

18. Virtual Charter Schools • Applicants to virtual charter schools are strongly encouraged to apply on-line. • Paper applications are not prohibited, but student must then also submit a virtual school supplement page.

19. Handling Applications

20. Reviewing On-line Applications • Edits will catch many, but not all, errors. Review for: • Correct nonresident district (e.g. parent indicates virtual school when your district doesn’t offer a virtual school). • Age and grade make sense. • Parent and student names are correct. • ASAP: errors harder to correct later.

21. Reviewing Paper Applications • Review for: • Timeliness • Right place – nonresident district office • Complete & accurate: • Minimum: Name, birthdate, grade, address, nonresident district, resident district, signed. • Resident district means the district the student will reside in for the 2009-10 school year.

22. Handling Paper Applications • A copy of each paper application must be sent to the resident district. • Paper applications must be entered into OPAL by the nonresident district: • Deadline: February 27 (end of day) • Communication features of OPAL require all applications to be entered by deadline.

23. Reapplications, Duplicates & Too Many Applications • Reapplications: • Do not enter into OPAL. • If submitted via OPAL, request DPI to delete. • Duplicates: Request DPI to delete. • Too Many Applications: • Excess applications should be withdrawn before end of application period.

24. Special Education & Expulsion Records • Nonresident district request for all applicants: • Request directly in OPAL. • Resident district provide records in 5 working days: • Respond directly in OPAL: • No records. • Yes, expulsion records (send) • Yes, special education records (send)

25. Special Education Cost Estimate • Nonresident district must provide special education cost estimate: • By March 16 on form PI 2092. • Only for special education/related services required in IEP. • Basic OE amount plus only actual, additional student-specific special education costs. • No averaged or prorated costs.

26. Approval/Denial Notification • Nonresident district: approve or deny. • Resident district: only denial is required. • Must be postmarked by April 10, 2009. • DPI form recommended (may use OPAL). • Affidavit of mailing. • Must include: • Written reason for denial (include all). • Place on waiting list, if applicable. • Notice of right to appeal.

27. Notice of School Assignment • Nonresident district must notify approved applicants of school assignment & first day of school. • By May 15, 2009. (If known, may send with approval notice.) • PI 9416. • Requested school not guaranteed. • Parent must notify nonresident district of intent to attend by June 5, 2009.

28. Intent to Attend • On June 30, nonresident districts must notify resident districts of students who have indicated intent to attend. • Record directly in OPAL.

29. Invalid Applications

30. Invalid Application • Untimely. • Applied to more than 3 nonresident districts. • No resident district or more than one resident district indicated on form.

31. Not Age Eligible • ECE: Must be 3 by the 3rd Friday in September. • 4K: Must be 4 by September 1. • 5K: Must be 5 by September 1. • Adult: Must not have reached 21 by first day of school.

32. Request for Early Admission • Parent may request early admission for 4K or 5K. • Nonresident district may evaluate. • Send conditional acceptance. • 5K: must meet criteria in nonresident district only. • 4K: must meet criteria in both resident & nonresident districts.

33. PreK, 4K & Early Childhood • Resident district must offer the same type of program: • 4K: generally same type of program if both can be counted. • If not, contact DPI to discuss. • ECE: student can OE for special education required in IEP.

34. Nonresident District:Reasons for Denial May Only Deny for Reasons Specified in State Law & School Board Policy

35. Regular Education Space • Space not available in schools, programs, classes or grades. • May consider: • Class size limits, pupil-teacher ratios, tuition agreements with other school districts and enrollment projections. • Spaces already occupied by new applicants and siblings.

36. Application is to a district, not to a school. • Parent may request specific school & may limit application. • If space is not available in requested school, district must approve application if space is available in another school. • If parent limited application, district may deny or may approve and assign student to a school with space.

37. Special Education & Related Services • Not available in nonresident district. • Space not available in special education or related services. • Key is “required by student’s IEP.”

38. Referral for Special Education Evaluation • A school board may consider whether: • A student has been referred to his or her resident school district for a special education evaluation; or • Been identified as a child with a disability but has not yet been evaluated by an IEP team.

39. DPI has interpreted this to mean: • A referral has been made but evaluation not completed. • A student has been identified as a child with a disability, but IEP has not been developed. • A student has been identified as a child with a disability, but does not have a valid IEP. • Reason for denial is “referred for special education evaluation.” • You may further explain the circumstances behind the decision, but do not deny for a reason not specified in statutes (i.e. “no records”). • Use DPI form. Check the box.

40. If student has a valid IEP, may not deny on basis of special education referral: • Whether or not the student is attending public school. • Whether or not the parent has accepted the placement offer. • If special education records are not received: • Make (and document) every effort to obtain records. • Wait until last possible date before acting on application.

41. Expulsion: Current or Preceding Two Years or Pending Disciplinary Proceeding • Based on: • Bomb threat or false information. • Conduct while under school supervision that endangers others. • Conduct while not under school supervision that endangers others at school or school authority • Possessing a dangerous weapon. • Can revoke OE after approval if above criteria are met prior to the beginning of the initial school year.

42. Current Expulsion • No school district is required to admit a student during the term of her or his expulsion from another school district. • Wis. Stats. § 120.13 (1) (f)

43. Nonresident DistrictSelection of Students

44. Order of Approval • Apply criteria to designate a number of spaces by grade. • Fill in following order: • Guarantees (if provided in policy) • Preferences. • Random selection.

45. Preferences & Guarantees • Must grant preference to: • Currently attending students and siblings of currently-attending students. • If there are more preference students than spaces, must approve randomly. • May guarantee approval to: • Currently attending students or siblings. • No other preferences or guarantees are permitted.

46. Preference requires an available space. Equal preference to currently-attending students & siblings. Guarantee applies even if class size exceeds space criteria. May grant guarantee to currently attending students or siblings: Not required to grant guarantee to both. Preference v. Guarantee

47. Random Selection • If spaces are still available after granting guarantees and/or preferences, remaining spaces must be filled by random selection. • If a student is selected randomly, that student’s siblings are given preference to next available space.

48. Resident DistrictReason for Denial Undue Financial Burden

49. Undue Financial Burden • Based on only actual, additional cost to provide the special education & related services in the nonresident school district. • As proposed to be implemented by the nonresident school district. • May not include basic OE amount or any savings as a result of the transfer.

50. Definition • In light of a school district’s total economic circumstances, including: • Revenue limit. • Ability to pay the tuition costs. • Per pupil special education costs for children with disabilities continuing to be served by the resident district.