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Woodland Hills proposes modest incentive to encourage charter students to return; board told staff will refine plan
Summary
The district presented a plan to offer modest per-student payments at milestones to families or staff who successfully recruit cyber charter students back to Woodland Hills, with the goal of reducing charter enrollment and special-education costs. The board emphasized transparency and that trustees may not participate personally in any payments.
At the May meeting the superintendent presented a plan under which Woodland Hills would offer modest monetary incentives to encourage students enrolled in cyber charter schools to return to the district. The plan ties payments to retention milestones: initial enrollment by Oct. 1, continuation through the first semester, and remaining through the full school year.
Nut graf: Administration framed the proposal as a cost-saving recruitment tool, noting that returning charter students can reduce outsourcing expenses — particularly for special-education placements — and that the district had discussed a pilot used in neighboring districts.
The superintendent described the incentives as roughly $333 at key retention points, with an additional payment if the student stays the full year; the administration said it reviewed the plan with district finance staff and planned to keep the program simple initially rather than offering hourly wages for summer work. “We want to try this first, keep it simple, and then if we get these students to come back, obviously, it's a huge saving,” the superintendent said.
Board members asked about administrative safeguards and conflicts of interest. The superintendent emphasized the board’s intention to make the program transparent and noted board members and administrators would not personally participate in any referral payments; recruitment would be performed by staff and community outreach. The administration said it would circulate a written plan and timeline for piloting the incentive and would revisit details after an initial implementation.
Ending: Trustees asked staff to refine the plan details and confirm fiscal impacts; staff indicated they would return with a more detailed written proposal for board review.
