After this school year, Kansas students will be allowed to go to any public school district in the state, as long as it has the room. Previously, districts have had discretion over whether to admit students from outside of their attendance areas. But starting this summer, schools are required to do so, which has created a complicated situation for highly ranked districts in Johnson County, which are now scrambling to prepare for a potential influx of students. “Really since the legislation passed, certainly the number of people calling us has increased. We get a few calls every week from people either checking into the process or saying they want to enroll,” said Olathe Superintendent Brent Yeager. Johnson County school leaders say that as they ready to open their doors to out-of-district students, they’re concerned about maintaining appropriate class sizes, having adequate staffing levels and taking on unexpected costs. “There are districts where it won’t be a big deal because they have only one school or three schools. For those of us in larger districts, it’s a much bigger challenge,” Yeager said. Kansas lawmakers approved the open enrollment requirement in 2022, as part of a broad K-12 finance bill. The provision says each school must determine its capacity for the following year, and accept applications from non-resident students when open seats are available.
Source: Joco 913 News
