Goodrich- Students from outside the county will be eligible to attend district schools in the upcoming school year.
With a vote of 4-3 at an April 23 meeting of the Goodrich Area Schools Board of Education, it was decided the district would participate in a ‘School of Choice? program that allows students from contiguous counties to apply for enrollment in local schools.
Additionally, the school district will continue to allow enrollment of students from other districts within Genesee County. In total, 42 School of Choice students’or 2 percent of the total student body? will be able to enroll in the district for the upcoming school year.
In years past, the district has opted to only allow students from within Genesee County to come into the school district.
‘The only way we have revenue is by the number of students we have coming in,? said Trustee James Bertrand. ‘I think it’s a really simple survival tactic we have to look at.?
Board President Michael Tripp said there are valid arguments both for and against the new program.
‘The school of choice issue is a relatively sensitive one…There are very valid arguments on both sides. I voted to support the (inter-county, but not contiguous counties) option as it has worked well for us, as well as the county, for several years. It appears that we have the room to accept a 1 percent increase should all spaces be filled,? said Tripp.
While the program allows for trustees to determine the number of students eligible to enroll in each grade level, they cannot stipulate the area of the county from which students are selected. This means students living on the border of Genesee County would not be granted preferential treatment as opposed to those living deeper into county lines.
Bertrand voted in favor of changing the program in which the district participated along with Vice President Kenneth Rappuhn, Trustees Timothy Zirnhelt and Jeff Engleman.
Engleman said his decision was based on the district’s need to increase revenue.
‘Enrollment next year could decline by 60 students, school of choice is the only way we have to try and keep the revenue that we need. It is a short-term solution to a long-term problem. Without trying to replace the students that will be leaving, we will be forced to make cuts in spending,? said Engleman.
Tripp voted against the change, along with trustees Gary Foltz and Michael Thorp.
‘I voted against (the plan allowing students from other counties) strictly because of the number of students involved,? said Tripp. ‘If the motion had limited the number (of incoming students) to a total of 1 percent, or even just a couple over, I would have supported it. Using a small number would have been a good way to test the viability, interest, and public reaction without affecting too many children.?
‘Essentially, strictly by mathematics we could have gained all 42 students from surrounding counties and I felt that was too many to try on the first effort,? said Tripp.
Another vocal opponent of the change was Thorp, who was expressing concern over accepting students into the school whose parents will not be paying taxes within the county that support programs such as special education.
The new program will only be in effect in the district for one school year, at the end of which the board will have the option to continue to allow students from contiguous counties or return to the program in which it has previously participated.
However, once a student has been allowed into the district through the program, they are allowed to stay for the remainder of their education, along with any siblings they have.