Start of School Year Issues

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Start of School Year Issues
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February through August

• Feb applications submitted
• Apr approvals and denials
• June intent to attend
• Parents notify nonresident district
• Nonresident districts notify resident districts
• Apr to Aug waiting lists
• September 1 school starts.

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Where are the kids?

• Are the students where you expect them to be?
• If they were approved for open enrollment (and
  indicated intent to attend), did they show up to
  school in the nonresident district?
• Did they show up for school in the resident
  district?
• Did they show up anywhere?

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• If an approved or continuing open enrollment
  student
• has not attended the nonresident district by the
  third Friday of September, the open enrollment is
  void.
• attends any public or private school other than
  the nonresident district, in or out of Wisconsin,
  the open enrollment is void.

5

• If an approved or continuing open enrollment
  student has registered and attended a home-based
  private educational program, the open enrollment
  is void.
• A number of parents whose children are open
  enrolled to virtual charter schools believe they
  need to file home-based forms. They should not
  file them.

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Where are the kids?

• Are they where they are supposed to be?
• If a new applicant has moved to a resident school
  district, other than the district indicated on
  the application form, the open enrollment is
  void.
• If the students open enrollment was denied by
  either district, the student may not open enroll.

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• Students who did not apply for open enrollment
  may not open enroll
• A student who recently moved into the area, but
  did not apply during the February application
  period, may not open enroll.
• Siblings of currently attending students must
  have applied during February, or they may not
  open enroll.

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• Tuition waivers dont last forever
• Any student who moved out of a district before an
  open enrollment application period, must have
  applied for open enrollment during that
  application period. If the student did not apply,
  the student may not open enroll.

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There are no exceptions to the application period
(period!).

• Students who are not eligible to open enroll may
  only attend a nonresident district if
• the student moves into the district.
• the parent pays tuition to the nonresident
  district (same as OE amount).
• the resident school district pays tuition to the
  nonresident district (resident district then
  counts the student).

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• Nonresident districts are required to charge
  tuition to nonresident students.
• Tuition may not be waived, except as provided in
  the statute.
• Nothing in the statute permits a resident and
  nonresident district to agree that
• a student may attend a nonresident district
  without tuition, and/or
• the resident district may count the student even
  though the nonresident district is educating the
  student.

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Where are the kids--virtually?

• Students who are open enrolled to virtual charter
  schools must be residents of Wisconsin, and must
  be eligible to be counted in membership.
• The student must be physically located in the
  state and attending school on the count date or
  at least one day before and one day after the
  count date.

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• Absences from the state (for traveling or
  competition, etc) must be temporary. The
  temporary absence should be pre-approved, and the
  student must continue attending the virtual
  school and keep the school informed as to her or
  his location.

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• Persons who are not Wisconsin residents who wish
  to attend a virtual charter school (or any
  Wisconsin school) must pay tuition. Owning land
  or maintaining a home does not qualify as
  residence if the student is not physically
  present in the state.

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• Some parents believe open enrollment to a virtual
  school is home-schooling
• They file home-schooling forms with the
  department.
• They refuse to register their children in their
  resident school district.
• They believe they are entitled to take up to two
  courses in their resident school district.

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No Flip Flops

• A student may return to the resident district at
  any time, but once the student returns to the
  resident district, the student may not go back to
  the nonresident district without reapplication.
• If the student begins the school year in the
  resident district, but doesnt like it, the
  student may not attend the nonresident district.

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• A student may not switch school districts from
  week to week under open enrollment (sometimes
  requested by parents sharing placement). Once a
  student has enrolled in another school district,
  the open enrollment ends.

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Full-time isnt Part-time

• Students who are participating in full-time OE
  are not entitled to any education in their
  resident school districts, nor are they entitled
  to participate in any extra-curricular activities
  in their resident school districts, nor to use
  any resident school district facilities or
  resources

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• there does not appear to be any law restricting
  resident districts from allowing students to take
  a course, or participate in an activity, but once
  the student is open enrolled-out, the district
  has no further obligation unless the student
  re-enrolls in and attends the resident district.

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Foreign Exchange Students

• A school board may permit a foreign exchange
  student to attend school in the school district
  without payment of tuition.
• A district may accept a foreign exchange student,
  even if the student is placed in a different
  school district.
• The school district of attendance counts the
  student in membership.

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9-week waiver

• Declaration that parent will establish residency
  in district by specified date.
• District may charge tuition for 9 weeks or may
  waive tuition for 9 weeks.
• If parent establishes residency within 9 weeks,
  tuition for that 9 weeks is refunded.
• Applies only to Wisconsin residents.

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Communication is Key

• Nearly every open enrollment issue involves at
  least two school districts.
• Communicate early and often.
• Forward tuition waiver requests promptly.
• Forward change of status forms promptly.

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• If theres a question, talk with each other
  before calling DPI. Saves a step or two.
• Then remember to keep DPI (Scott) in the loop.

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• Try to develop procedures that will catch errors
  early
• Student shows up who should not be there should
  be caught early at the school level, if possible.
  
• Special education team will know which children
  are OE, and that the resident district must be
  notified of referrals and appoint a member to the
  IEP team.

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?
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Open Enrollment Web Site List Serve

• Open Enrollment Web Site
• http//dpi.wi.gov/sms/psctoc.html
• Open Enrollment List Serve
• receive information and announcements
• printed information rarely used
• to sign up, send email to
• L.scott.eagleburger_at_dpi.state.wi.us

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Open Enrollment Stafftoll-free 888-245-2732fax
608-267-9207
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Department of Public Instruction125 S. Webster
StreetP.O. Box 7841Madison, WI
53707-7841http//dpi.wi.gov
Department of Public Instruction Elizabeth
Burmaster, State Superintendent November, 2006