Janesville School District aims to entice nearby students
If you go
The Janesville School District’s Educational Options Fair, held in conjunction with the annual Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast, is set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 21, at Craig High School, 401 S. Randall Ave., Janesville.
JANESVILLE — The Janesville School District is taking advantage of extended open-enrollment deadlines to persuade more parents in surrounding districts to send their children to school here.
Open enrollment allows a parent to enroll a child in any school district free of charge except for transportation costs, in most cases.
Open enrollment applications for the next school year had been limited to three weeks in February. State lawmakers recently extended the period to three months, ending April 30.
For years, online schools sponsored by various Wisconsin districts have used local parent meetings and other marketing tactics to enroll students from other districts, but this is new for Janesville.
The district plans an Educational Options Fair on Saturday, April 21, "to educate families in Janesville and surrounding communities about the exciting and innovative educational options offered in the School District of Janesville," according to a district document describing the event.
A Facebook advertisement for the fair, posted Wednesday, reminds readers that "open enrollment ends April 30."
The school board has told Superintendent Karen Schulte to increase enrollment in the district, which is one way to boost revenue at a time when enrollments are down and state aid has been cut.
The district's revenue increases with each student who enrolls from another district. This school year, the amount will be $6,948 per student, according to a state Department of Public Instruction estimate.
The home district generally loses most but not all of its revenue connected to that student.
The school board set a goal for Schulte to enroll 100 new students in the 2012-2013 school year. Schulte's performance evaluation is based on meeting the board's goals.
"To reach this goal, we aim to raise community awareness of parental/student options by creating a showcase for the numerous and diverse schools in our district," according to the district document. "All elementary, middle, and high schools, along with the charter schools, will be invited to participate in the event. All schools within the district will have the opportunity to showcase what is extraordinarily unique (innovative) and specific to each school."
"Due to the open enrollment date being extended this year, we would like to showcase what Janesville has to offer to families in other communities who are relatively close to Janesville," district spokesman Brett Berg said.
Officials also hope to attract home-schoolers.
"We would like to provide parents with the best information available to help decide their child's educational needs," the document continues. "The Educational Options Fair will also serve to inform parents that have been home schooling their children and increase awareness of the innovative personalized alternatives available within the SDJ."
Berg said the fair will be during the annual Kiwanis pancake breakfast at Craig High School.
The Kiwanians allowed a blurb about the fair in their Gazette advertisements, Berg said, and the district's TAGOS Leadership Academy is paying for other ads in Milton and Beloit newspapers.
TAGOS had planned a similar event and invited other district schools to join in, Berg said.
Some administrators will be on hand at the fair, but some schools might be represented only by a table with literature, Berg said.
Berg said the fair is the district's only scheduled marketing event, but the topic could come up in the future.
Apr 17, 2012 at 1:26 p.m.
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I thought that the main push for the referendum a few years ago was to upgrade facilities so we can have good schools and attract families to Janesville? Will history repeat itself again?
(Beloit?)
Apr 17, 2012 at 9:42 a.m.
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Smile_kbs: "principal" is the correct word
Apr 15, 2012 at 7:33 p.m.
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We are moving our three children out of the school district this year. So far we have been highly disappointed with the schools in Janesville. We have even taken a problem directly to the school principle and Karen Shulte, they just don't care. No one would give us the time of day until they saw we left. The budget cuts aren't going to help any! I agree we don't need marketing we need great teachers and schools! Look at the middle schools right now they too are so off balance. I don't want to send my kids to a maxed out school like Marshall. They are very very close to capacity. Not impressed, maybe they should focus on the retention of the kids they have!
Apr 14, 2012 at 4:10 p.m.
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I know this is a bit off the actual article but it can be tied into the whole problem so I am going to ask. One of the first few paragraphs makes mention of transportation fees and I have always wondered who foots the bill for school buses? Living in the city if our kids live too far from the school to walk, we have to either pay for a city bus ride or pay someone else to transport our children. We all know where fuel prices are heading. How full are these school buses and do the parents of the kids bused pay for this service or does the school district? I have a feeling the school district does and that makes me wonder why, and if there has ever been any thought into changing this?
Apr 14, 2012 at 12:51 p.m.
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If the Janesville School District wants to increase enrollment by attracting students from other districts or from home schooling, they need to improve the quality to something parents want their children to be part of.
Just marketing the Janesville schools as being excellent is not enough. They have to BE excellent.
Apr 14, 2012 at 11:19 a.m.
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more children = more money
lower enrollment = less money for school district = less employees in school district. $10,000 per child per class evidently is not enough.
Apr 14, 2012 at 9:41 a.m.
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We have wonderful teachers in Janesville. One of the best ways to recruit students is to assure parents that the Board stands behind quality public education. Congratulations on this venture. I hope that you succeed.
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More than that, I hope the nay-sayers on our School Board wake up and recognize the mixed messages that they continue to tout. It is extremely dysfunctional to give evaluative goals of recruiting students while reducing staff. I do not envy Karen's position in any way. Until our Board is focused on moving our district from good to great, the job is impossible.
Apr 14, 2012 at 7:14 a.m.
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Just what will be so "enticing"? The super-large class sizes, or the millions in additional program cuts expected next year and beyond?
Apr 14, 2012 at 6:35 a.m.
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Good luck with that. I live in the Janesville School District and open enrolled my daughter OUT of the Janesville School District. Best thing I ever did was get her out of Janesville Schools. She's doing much better this year than she did the past three years in Janesville. My parents moved to Janesville when I was in Kindergarten, moved back to Evansville School District when I started 4th grade because of the poor quality education. I was at least two chapters BEHIND when I started in Evansville. That being said nothing changed over the past 35+ years. I would NOT recommend Janesville Schools to anyone.
Apr 14, 2012 at 5:59 a.m.
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What does it cost to educate a student in the Janesville school system? Is this a money maker?
Apr 14, 2012 at 12:01 a.m.
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....."entice" nearby students. Really? Recruit, attract- weren't options for the headline? Who wrote this Scott Walkers close aide who is accused of possessing child porn?; or the other one who allegedly stole monies from our veterans. I say stranger danger.
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