Board to consider resolution setting limited open-enrollment parameters for 2026-27

Kelly Jansen and other district staff introduced proposed open-enrollment parameters for the 2026-27 school year at the Oct. 2 board workshop, previewing the timeline and the resolution that staff will bring to the board for action in October.

Jansen told the board the open-enrollment process is governed by Minnesota statute (the enrollment options program) and that the district must either accept open-enrolled students, limit acceptance by resolution, or opt out entirely. The district proposes to participate but to limit acceptance through a resolution to be returned to the board at the October business meeting; staff said the proposed floor is to accept at least 1 percent of a grade level or the number of district resident students who applied to enroll outside the district, whichever is less.

Under the staff proposal, district capacity rules would also close individual buildings to new open-enrollment applicants if an elementary building reaches 90 percent capacity or a high school reaches 95 percent. Jansen said chief factors in capacity decisions will include student-to-staff ratios, building size and physical attributes, available staffing, MDE/MDH guidance and program capacity. She said the district treats students enrolled in the district as "ours" for pathway planning: once a student is admitted, they remain on the district pathway even if a receiving building later exceeds capacity.

The board was given the Oct. 1'—2-Jan. 15 application window timeline; staff noted late applications can be placed on the wait list in order of receipt and families should typically be notified by February whether they were accepted. Jansen said staff are still working through the likely impact of new school options in the region, including Math and Science Academy (MSA) and other choice-program expansions, and that the staff recommendation for grade-level caps and building closures will reflect the district'''s enrollment and capacity data when presented.

Board members asked several process questions: whether open-enrolled students who later transfer to another school-choice program retain priority to return (staff said they'd need to reapply and would not be automatically grandfathered into a seat if they leave and later request to return), and how pathway planning works for students who attend multi-pathway schools; staff said they often consider a student'''s residence to assign pathways when needed and will work with families in limited exceptions for program-specific needs. Staff also said existing inter-district transfers and intra-district school-choice shifts are processed before approving nonresident open-enrollment requests.

Ending: Staff will return a resolution in October with the district'''s recommended grade-level caps and building closures after finalizing capacity counts and enrollment projections.