Tucson's open enrollment policy for schools (Catalina Foothills, Catalina: budget, houses, price)

[michael krotchie]

Just an FYI to those parents with school-age kids out there, Tucson is adopting an open enrollment policy starting with this upcoming 2008-2009 school year that will replace the traditional boundary guidelines that were used previously.

Here's a little background story:

Declining enrollment and an $18 million budget deficit are just a couple of the issues facing the Tucson Unified School District. Now, neighboring school districts and charter schools want to recruit students from within TUSD.

The Tucson district isn’t the only school system in the area that is facing declining enrollment. Several other districts have the same issue, and they’ve spent thousands of dollars on advertising to try to lure new students.

This is very attractive for those families who cannot, or do not want to pay for the higher home prices in some of the better school districts in town. It appears each school has it's own application form/process to follow, listed on their website.

Here is an article I was just reading with the following blurb I found quite encouraging.

Sabino is one of only three high schools nationally that are finalists for an award lauding excellence in mathematics through the Intel Foundation. The winner, to be announced in June, will get $7,500 in cash and up to $150,000 in professional development, curriculum materials and computer equipment.

Sabino carries an "excelling" label and its math department is among the highest-scoring in the state, with 92 percent of 10th-graders passing the AIMS math test the first time they take it.

Granted, the school is in an affluent area, which tends to have a strong correlation with success. But those demographics are changing. About one-third of the student body next year will be from outside the feeder neighborhoods, compliments of open enrollment.

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by michael krotchie

This is very attractive for those families who cannot, or do not want to pay for the higher home prices in some of the better school districts in town. It appears each school has it's own application form/process to follow, listed on their website.

I can imagine how attractive it will be for those who've spent big bucks in order to buy houses in good districts...

[michael krotchie]

Originally Posted by sierraAZ

I can imagine how attractive it will be for those who've spent big bucks in order to buy houses in good districts...

I think it's fair to say that the school district is one of many areas of concern for homeowners, and it isn't like this is a 'true' open enrollment. Still have to get through the application process.

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by michael krotchie

I think it's fair to say that the school district is one of many areas of concern for homeowners, and it isn't like this is a 'true' open enrollment. Still have to get through the application process.

I just talked with somebody who told me this has been going on for years... Don't know why then it's news now. Perhaps it wasn't done to such extend.

I know I'm not happy with it. Perhaps I wasn't gonna go live in the boonies had I known this was coming. The good school district played a major role in my decision.

[michael krotchie]

Originally Posted by sierraAZ

I just talked with somebody who told me this has been going on for years... Don't know why then it's news now. Perhaps it wasn't done to such extent...

I probably should have been more specific, this relates specifically to TUSD students (a large part of town). I'm not sure what the policy was for the other school districts around town.

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by michael krotchie

I probably should have been more specific, this relates specifically to TUSD students (a large part of town). I'm not sure what the policy was for the other school districts around town.

Well, I saw this in the first article:

Thanks to the new open enrollment policy, the Catalina Foothills District sent out 43,000 fliers to families within TUSD’s old boundaries early this year. “In that period we had 486 new applicants and 70% of those were from within the Tucson Unified area,” says Foothills School Superintendent Dr. Mary Kamerzell. That translates to about $1.4 million dollars in state funding.

[michael krotchie]

Originally Posted by sierraAZ

Well, I saw this in the first article:

Thanks to the new open enrollment policy, the Catalina Foothills District sent out 43,000 fliers to families within TUSD’s old boundaries early this year. “In that period we had 486 new applicants and 70% of those were from within the Tucson Unified area,” says Foothills School Superintendent Dr. Mary Kamerzell. That translates to about $1.4 million dollars in state funding.

Right, TUSD students are now allowed to enroll in other school districts if accepted by that particular school. So CF sent out fliers encouraging former TUSD students to apply for admission.

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by michael krotchie

Right, TUSD students are now allowed to enroll in other school districts if accepted by that particular school. So CF sent out fliers encouraging former TUSD students to apply for admission.

Well, then any district can/will do the same, the schools will become overcrowded to say the least and the quality will suffer. Am I wrong in my assumptions? And why does this apply only to TUSD students? What's so special about them? Not that I'm looking forward to... OK, time to stop.

[michael krotchie]

It was my understanding that the other school districts already had an open enrollment policy in place like what TUSD has now, but TUSD had just finally revised their policy.

Not all students who apply are automatically accepted, but I can see this becoming an interesting topic of debate right about.. oh now!

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by michael krotchie

It was my understanding that the other school districts already had an open enrollment policy in place like what TUSD has now, but TUSD had just finally revised their policy.

Not all students who apply are automatically accepted, but I can see this becoming an interesting topic of debate right about.. oh now!

I'm not very familiar with the subject, so I'll have to research more.