District 544 strives to find balance

The magic bullet to keeping students is different for each family, though

By Amie Steffen | The Daily Journal

Published Monday, February 26, 2007

More than 30,000 Minnesota students did this last year. And no, it wasn’t carry a purse to class.

Those 30,000 elected to attend school in a district other than their own, for reasons of their choosing. For them, school might be about better facilities, more course offerings, even a stronger athletic program.

Fergus Falls saw around 100 students open-enroll in District 544 last year, according to Superintendent Jerry Ness, and almost all had a different reason for doing so.

“We have probably the best auto vocational tech shop in the state,” Ness said. “And just some wonderful teachers. It’s just a little bit different for each parent.”

Open enrollment, according to Minnesota Statute 124D.03, allows all Minnesota’s public school students the opportunity to apply to attend school outside of the school district where they live. Students must apply to the school district of their choice by Jan. 15 of every year in order to have the best chance of being admitted the following fall. Families generally provide their own school transportation, and no tuition is charged.

“Overall, I think it has been a good thing for students,” Ness said.

However, District 544 also saw its share of students leaving the district and faces a declining pattern.

It’s something Ness has dealt with since he began work last summer, and he still struggles with the delicate balance between raising the district up and placating taxpayers. District 544 would like to improve its facilities, but the community has been unwilling to finance brand-new, multi-million-dollar buildings.

“We just want good, safe, healthy learning buildings for our students,” Ness said.

He said students open-enroll in the district for various reasons, among them athletic programs not offered at the smaller schools, such as swimming or hockey, or music programs like the orchestra, as well as a solid core of college courses.

“We have a lot of pluses,” he said.

But as the largest district in the area, Fergus Falls’ size has become a negative as well.

“I hear a lot of ‘too big,’” Ness said. “If we can create some smaller learning environments, we can counterbalance ... Just keep them from leaving.”

Any student in kindergarten through 12th grade, as well as pre-kindergarten students with disabilities, is eligible to open-enroll at any public school in the state. Applications can be found on the Department of Education’s Web site at http://education.state.mn.us/, and information about districts, individual schools and their programs can be browsed there as well.

Students will find out if they have been approved to enroll by Feb. 15, and must notify that school of their decision by March 1.

But just because they apply does not mean they are guaranteed. A school may be unable to accept a student based on lack of capacity in a building, a program or class, or may simply have already reached the enrollment set by law.

Ness said there have already been some abuses of the program. He cited an example at a school near the Twin Cities, where students were open-enrolling just to be a part of one of the “best” sports program in the state.

In response, the Minnesota High School League is proposing restricting open enrollment for purely athletic reasons.

“I think open enrollment is used for other purposes than its intents,” Ness said.

But, in the long run, students should have the option — and the right — to choose a school they believe will help them succeed, he said.

“When you’re competing, you’re better for it,” Ness said. “And we will try to make Fergus Falls the number one option.”