School board gets report on transfers, in and out

Garth Meyer, Gazette Reporter | Oct 06, 20110

In the era of open choice for public schools, many students in the Colfax district attend schools outside the district while others come to Colfax.

The district’s first monthly count for the 2011-12 school year was 7.5 students above district projections for full-time equivalent kids. The October count was up 13.21, for 626 full-time equivalent students.

“Excellent news,” said Colfax Superintendent Michael Morgan.

Usually there is a slight decrease or small increase from September to October. An exception was 2007-2008, in which the number grew at a similar rate as this year.

“We’re hoping that means we’re kind of stabilizing as a district,” Morgan said.

The enrollment numbers reflect a myriad of options for parents and students who live in Colfax and adjoining areas of Whitman County.

State rules allow students and parents to choose their schools.

In September’s totals, 17 students were attending Colfax schools from outside the district while 65 students from families residing in the district decided to go elsewhere.

A rundown of the enrollment transfers was presented at the Sept. 26 school board meeting.

Of the students going elsewhere, 30 go to the Pullman School District, 18 to Steptoe, seven to St. John/Endicott, two to Garfield/Palouse and eight to online schools. Students coming in to the district include a mix from St. John/Endicott, LaCrosse, Oakesdale, Pullman, Rosalia and Steptoe.

The numbers do not include students that have enrolled in private schools. In addition, 30 of the students transferring out have never been enrolled in Colfax. A total of 13 students in five families are registered for home school.

The board at its meeting last Monday, Sept. 26, reviewed the report’s findings.

“If the report had twice the number of choice out, we’d still be talking about it,” said school board president Brian Becker. “We’d have never approved it.”

When a student transfers in or out, their parents are asked to fill out a form that asks for the reason why. Each transfer goes up for approval to Supt. Michael Morgan.

The three main reasons are; 1. Financial, educational, safety and health; 2. Accesibility to the parents’ place of work or childcare; and 3. Special hardship or detrimental condition.

For students choosing into Colfax, reason two is the most popular cited by eight out of the 17 students.

For kids choosing to leave the district, reasons 1 and 2 are the most common reasons given. A total of 29 opted out for financial, educational, safety or health, while 25 said they opted out for proximity to parents’ work, child care, etc.

“I sign every choice in or out,” said Morgan. “The majority of the time it’s things like Pullman has daycare available after school.”

The educational reasons to transfer out have been noted as differing electives and general quality of education.

“There is no question that this is an issue,” said Kirby Dailey, a candidate for school board in November’s election. “There’s wonderful things happening at the school, but there’s a lot of opportunity for improvement. And the people opting out are a source of information which could help improve things.”

Dailey has four children that have graduated from Colfax High. They were partially home-schooled because of academic options not offered at the school. He has a son who is a freshman.

“We’re continually trying to find ways to keep these students from choicing out, but at the same time, there are those choicing in,” said Becker, who has three children in Colfax schools. “I look at the overall enrollment numbers, and the stemming of that decline as a more significant number than the specific numbers of students choicing in or out.”

Part of the numbers of transfers listed for educational reasons are known to include students that go to other districts for athletic reasons, which is not permitted, so an educational explanation is often given.

Whatever the reason, Morgan said he usually approves transfer requests.

“In most cases, I’m not going to argue with a parent if they think going to another school is best for the student,” Morgan said.

In the realm of education, in the middle of the past decade, the district undertook an effort to address an educational concern by home-schoolers in science instruction, regarding evolution and creationism. Morgan said the school retained students due to this effort.

“The home-school numbers are starting to get just high enough to look at this again,” said Morgan.

Students transferring in and out of districts saw a big increase statewide after legislation was passed in 1993 to allow parents’ free choice of school districts. Later, the state removed boundaries for bussing, meaning it allowed for one district’s bus to pick up a youngster in another district.

“When choice legislation went into place, it created a lot of movement,” Morgan said. “There’s a lot of things you don’t have control over.”

Electives are one area Morgan said is where the district might focus.

“I think one of the things we need to work on are elective offerings at the high school,” Morgan said. The school lost its wood shop five years ago while ag mechanics classes have since been reduced, all due to budget cuts and teacher retirement. However, next fall Colfax High will add a new elective, a biomedical science class, which is part of the federal Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Initiative.

In the 1950s, 591 school districts were in Washington. Today, there are 295, following consolidation over time.

Due to changes in farming, there are fewer students in rural districts.

For the past three years, the Colfax district has had an average loss of eight students per year.

“Typically, you end with 10 kids less than what you start with,” Morgan said.

Clarification: The Gazette in a Sept. 1 story reported Supt. Morgan said 99 students were transferring out of the district last year. That number actually included all transfers, both in and out, during the 2010-11 school year. A breakdown of that number includes 17 transferring in, 65 transferring out and 13 in home school, and five opting for a private school.