I received some questions about option enrollment from district patrons and thought it would be appropriate time to provide information about the state option enrollment program.
The enrollment option program was established to
enable any kindergarten through twelfth grade Nebraska student to attend a
school in a Nebraska public school district in which the student does not
reside, subject to certain limitations.
School districts receive state aid for net option
students. Net option is the difference between students optioning into the
district and those optioning out of the district. Bancroft-Rosalie has
approximately 40 more students optioning in than out each year. The state aid
for the net option students in 2012-13 is $350,898 (about $8300 per student).
The option is available only
once to each student prior to graduation unless (a) the student relocates to a
different resident school district, (b) the option school district merges with
another district, (c) the option school district is a Class 1 district, (d) the
option would allow the student to continue current enrollment in a school district,
or (e) the option would allow the student to enroll in a school district in
which the student was previously enrolled as a resident student.
Parents or legal guardians
must submit an application to the school board of the option school district
between September 1 and March 15 for enrollment during the following and
subsequent school years. Applications submitted after March 15 must be
accompanied by a release approval from the resident school district on the
application form. The Enrollment Option Application form contains a section for
the resident district to complete to provide this release.
School boards must adopt by
resolution specific standards for approval and denial of applications to option
into their districts. Standards may include the capacity of a program, class,
grade level, or school building, based upon available staff, facilities,
projected enrollment of resident students, projected number of students the
option district will contract based on existing contractual arrangements, and
availability of appropriate special education programs. The school board of the
option school district may by resolution declare a program, a class, or a
school unavailable to option students if the district is at capacity. Standards
shall not include previous academic achievement, athletic or other
extracurricular ability, disabilities, proficiency in the English language, or
previous disciplinary proceedings (except where a student was expelled from a district
and has not completed the terms of the expulsion). Resident districts also must
have adopted standards for release of students that file late applications.
The school board or board of
education is required to adopt by resolution specific policies for approval and
denial of applications. Once the policies have been established, there is no
need for the board to vote on approval or denial for each application. Instead,
the local district board can authorize a district official, such as the
superintendent, to act on applications in accordance with the policy. The
authorized district administrator should apply the school board’s policies to
all applications.
