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Board reviews open-enrollment numbers, staff recommends opening 165 seats for 2025–26
Summary
District staff recommended opening 165 open-enrollment seats for 2025–26, reported 433 current open-enrolled students, and estimated a net budgetary gain of about $2.6 million; the board asked staff to continue analysis before a vote next meeting.
District staff told the Whitnall School District board the administration recommends opening 165 seats for open enrollment for the 2025–26 school year and will bring a final action to the board at the next business meeting.
Brady (district staff member) explained the recommendation and background. He said the district currently has 433 students who enrolled through open enrollment, most entering at 4K and at 6th grade, and that historically about 70% of current open-enrolled students began with the district before third grade.
Brady said the district estimates it will receive roughly $9,000 per open-enrolled student in general aid and approximately $14,000 per open-enrolled student with disabilities. Based on current projections, he said the district expects to bring in just under $4,000,000 in open-enrollment revenue while paying out about $1,300,000 for students leaving the district — a net estimate of roughly $2,600,000. Brady described these as estimates and said actual revenue depends on final enrollments.
The nut graf: The recommendation is procedural and budget-aware; staff asked for board questions before a final vote next meeting so the district can firm up placements, special-education capacity and equity of seat distribution between elementary schools.
Brady described the placement process. For elementary applicants, the district seeks to keep siblings together and to place returning resident students at their previous building when possible; when no other criteria apply, the district randomly places students between Edgerton and Hales Corners Elementary. He noted 6th grade is where the district typically opens more seats because it allows students to remain for grades 6–12.
Board members raised capacity and equity questions. Jason (board member) asked whether newly recruited families who decide to enroll would affect the number of seats available. Brady said the district typically does not fill all seats it opens — historically the district fills about 40% of the seats offered — and staff recommended the 165-seat opening with that fill rate in mind. Chelsea (board member) asked whether the district must re-admit district residents who previously open-enrolled out; Jesse (executive assistant) clarified that resident students who return must be accepted regardless of class size, and that special-education obligations remain in force for resident students.
Board members also asked whether state law allows open enrollment into 4K when a child’s resident district does not offer 4K. Brady said state law prohibits accepting open-enrollment 4K students when the resident district does not provide 4K programming.
Staff told the board they will continue outreach to families who have left the district to better understand reasons for departures and to refine projected seat fill rates. The board did not vote; action is scheduled for the next meeting.
Ending: The board asked staff to return with further analysis of where seats would be available, the distribution between elementary buildings, the impact on special-education capacity and a refined revenue projection before the next meeting.
