Open enrollment benefits students, school districts

By DIANE SMITH

dianesmith@star-telegram.com

HALTOM CITY — Proximity to parents’ jobs and a family tradition of attending Birdville schools are among the top reasons why students living outside the district commute to campuses in cities such as North Richland Hills and Haltom City, a recent survey shows.

The district, with an enrollment of about 22,900, is in the second year of an open-enrollment program. It allows out-of-district students to attend classes at Birdville schools without paying tuition. The program has about 509 such students this year, according to numbers released last month. Last year, it had 363.

"We are putting kiddos in empty chairs," said Rick Kempe, director of student services.

The open-enrollment program is Birdville’s answer to replacing dollars it lost under changes in the state’s school funding system. Birdville lost money because local property values increased while enrollment declined.

Birdville gets about $5,000 a year per student and received a total of about $2.5 million from the state for the transfer students, Kempe said. It’s a viable option for an older school district that has stopped growing.

"We are pretty well built-out," Kempe said. "We are not in a growth state like Keller and Northwest."

The program centers on space availability and use of existing resources, including teachers, Kempe said. Criteria for choosing transfer students include passing grades and a 90 percent attendance record, and students must have passed the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills if they are in a grade in which it is given.

"This can’t cost us teachers," Kempe said.

Birdville Superintendent Stephen Waddell was familiar with the open-enrollment system because it was used in the Corpus Christi district, where he previously worked.

Other districts

In the spring, Arlington school trustees allowed out-of-district transfers at elementary schools, with district employees getting first crack at open slots. Nonemployee transfers must pay $1,898 in tuition — the difference between what the state gives Arlington per student and the total cost of educating a child.

Since Arlington implemented the policy, 42 children of employees who live outside the district have enrolled. Only two transferring students were not related to school employees, officials said.

Fort Worth Superintendent Melody Johnson has hinted that the district is exploring open enrollment, but no action has been taken.

Birdville’s 33 campuses are in Richland Hills, North Richland Hills, Watauga and Haltom City. Most of the out-of-district students are transfers from Keller or Fort Worth schools, but some have come as far away as Springtown, Breckenridge and Dallas.

This year, 219 students living in Keller transferred to Birdville schools. Fort Worth residents account for 140 transfers, and 48 students transferred from the Hurst-Euless-Bedford area.

A parent survey of transfer students found that most make the move because of proximity to work. Keller and Northwest families noted that they had moved outside the Birdville district but wanted their children to finish their schooling there. A third common reason is that parents who graduated from Birdville want to share a schooling tradition with their children.

Debbie Conaway, a counselor at Birdville High School, commutes with her 18-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter to the campus almost every day from their home in Kennedale.

Conaway said she wanted her children to attend schools with a strong academic program while keeping an eye on them. She said she didn’t want to leave her children home alone after school. Her husband, who also works in Northeast Tarrant County, is a graduate of Birdville schools.

"It was a tough decision, but it was the best I’ve ever made," she said.

Staff writers Traci Shurley and Eva-Marie Ayala contributed to this report.

DIANE SMITH, 817-390-7675

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