Procedure: 3130P

Section: 3000 - Students

Title: Elementary Fall Enrollment Balancing

Status: Active

Adopted: [Last Known Date October 19, 2022]

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Procedure - Elementary Fall Enrollment Balancing

I. Overview of Enrollment Balancing Problem

Historically there has been a problem of balancing class sizes prior to the beginning of the school year, primarily because new students have not pre-registered prior to the first day of school. In fact, some students have enrolled up to fourteen days into the school year. This has resulted in the shifting of students and/or teachers well after the school year has begun.

Though such shifting of students and/or staff after the second week of school may sometimes by necessary, this procedure is to minimize disruption to the educational program.

It will never be possible to exactly balance enrollments and class loads among schools, but this procedure will be implemented to mitigate or prevent untenable overloads. Further, transportation will receive careful consideration when efforts to alleviate overloading are made.

II. Tentative Class Size and School Configuration for the Following School Year

A. Goal

 

To tentatively determine class sizes and overall configuration for each school by the end of May.

B. Procedures

1. By the end of May elementary principals will:

a. Survey each family to determine whether or not the family is moving, returning, or uncertain (See Attachment 1);

b. Determine how many students will be promoted and retained;

c. Determine the number of students attending another school in the district under the internal transfer policy;

d. Recommend to the assistant superintendent a classroom configuration based on projected enrollment which will include decisions on numbers of classes at each grade level, splits and students per class.

After grade configurations have been established, elementary principals will maintain an enrollment grid by class for each elementary school for the coming school year.

III. New Students Registration During the Summer Months

A. Goal

To encourage parents to register new students before the first day of school.

B. Procedures

1. The public information administrator will:

a. Print an article in the August issues of Ferndale Schools than encourages parents of new students to register their children and to tell new neighbors to register their children by August 20 (See Attachment 2);

b. Request that an article (See Attachment 2) appears in the Westside Record Journal, Whatcom Shopper, and Bellingham Herald weekly during the month of August; and

c. Prepare and disseminate public service announcements for radio and TV in August encouraging parents to register students before school starts.

2. Each principal will:

a. Send a newsletter home in May encouraging parents to register eligible students during spring kindergarten registration and to get their neighbors to do the same;

b. Encourage parents through the building newsletter to be alert to new families in the neighborhood, to inform them to register at the proper school in a timely fashion, and to be alert to families that move out of the neighborhood and report this to the principal.

IV. Efforts to Balance Class Loads When New Students Begin to Enroll

A. Goal

To identify enrollment overloads at individual elementary schools.

B. Procedures To Be Used When Enrolling Students Before The First Day of School

1. As each new student enrolls prior to the first day of school, the student will be accepted in to the school even through the grade level and classroom may appear full. At this time parents will be told, as well as given a letter, that though their child is being registered there is a good possibility that shortly after the start of school when actual enrollment is verified (probably by the fourth day), he she may be transferred to another school. (See Attachment 3)

2. The district office will keep a record of each school's class configuration by grade level and teacher.

V. District Method To Deal With Overloads That Do occur In Spite of Registration Efforts  

A. Goals

To minimize the disruption to staff and students when transfers are necessary because enrollment overloads could not be prevented.

B. Procedure 

1. If enrollment is significantly above the projected level in one building and as projected in others, additional staff, certificated or classified, may need to be hired. In this situation the elementary principal will:

a. Consult with the assistant superintendent to review the nature of the problem;

b. Determine in consultation with the assistant superintendent, the configuration of the school (Number of kindergarten through sixth grade classes, splits, etc.) and staff assignments;

c. Assist with the hiring process;

d. Inform staff and begin to identify students who will be affected; and

a. Communicate specifically via letter, phone, or in person with the parents of affected students and generally via letter to the remainder of the school parents to inform them of the changes.

2. If enrollment is up in one building and down in another, the transfer of staff may be needed.

a. The assistant superintendent, in consultation with the superintendent and principals, will determine the need to transfer staff.

b. The principal will:

1. Identify potential staff to be transferred and confer with the assistant superintendent;
2. Make the final determination of staff to transfer and notify staff member(s);
3. Consult with the assistant superintendent and determine new grade configuration for the school;
4. Work with staff to identify students who will be affected;
5. Communicate specifically via letter, p[hone, or in person with the parents of affected students and generally via letter to the remainder of the school parents to inform them of the changes.

 

3. If enrollment is basically as projected in all buildings except for an overload in one area/grade level in one building, then student transfers may be needed:

a. Principal(s) will consult with the assistant superintendent to determine if student transfers are needed, and if so, how many and to which schools;

b. The sending principal, in consultation with the transportation administrator and assistant superintendent, will be responsible to tentatively identify which children will be transferred;

c. The assistant superintendent will notify the principal(s) of the receiving school (s), the grade levels and numbers of children they might receive;

d. The principal will then contact the parents and discuss and confirm the transfer(s), including date;

e.  After parents have been contacted, the principal will contact the transportation administrator and provide him with names, addresses, phone numbers and school students who will be attending when they have been identified;

f. The transportation administrator will make final arrangements for transportation;

g. The sending principal will notify the receiving principal of names, addresses, phone numbers and grade levels of the students to be transferred;

h. The transportation administrator will contact the parent(s) and the receiving principal(s) to inform them of transportation arrangements;

i. The sending principal will be responsible to tell parents that the situation will be re-evaluated before the end of May and that the child is expected to return to the "neighborhood" school the ensuing year.

4. If after the fourth day of school classes are at capacity and more student enroll, the following procedure will be followed:

a. As each new student comes to enroll, the principal or designee will check class lists. If classes are not full, the student will be enrolled. If the class is full, the principal will confer with the assistant superintendent.

a.  If the principal and assistant superintendent agree that a student transfer is appropriate, the principal will contact the recommended school to double check the availability of space and check with the transportation administrator as to the feasibility of transportation.

b. Final determination for a transfer will be made by the assistant superintendent in consultation with the principals and transportation administrator.

c. If a transfer is authorized, the principal will take the student's name, phone number and address and inform the parents that they will have the option of returning to the "neighborhood" school at the first opening. The building principal will keep a record of the transferred students and be prepared to call them when an opening occurs and offer the option to return.

d. The principal will call the transportation administrator and given him the name, address, phone number of the "transferring" student and the school to which he is transferring. The transportation administrator will finalize transportation and notify the principal and parents.

e. In the event there is more than one transfer to other schools and a vacancy exists, the denying principal will call parents in order first transferred, second transferred, third transferred, etc. until the offer to return is accepted or denied. However, transportation demands/costs may preclude the district from allowing this option and the student may, at the discretion of the district, be returned to the school service area in which he lives. If transportation is not a concern, the district can allow parents to exercise the option to stay or return, the next student to register at that grade level will be enrolled in the vacancy;

f.  The principal will ensure that parents understand that the transfer is for one year. The situation will be re-evaluated as necessary during the year before the end of May. Student(s) will generally be expected to return to the "neighborhood" school the ensuing year.