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College Station ISD considers limited out‑of‑district transfers to offset enrollment shortfall
Summary
Trustees discussed opening a controlled out‑of‑district transfer program (initially through sixth grade) after enrollment fell about 300 students below budgeted projections (roughly $2 million). Staff proposed application criteria, annual reapplication, and removal for attendance or discipline.
College Station ISD trustees discussed a proposal Oct. 21 to allow limited out‑of‑district student transfers as a way to increase enrollment and district revenue after current enrollment ran roughly 300 students below projections.
An administrator outlined a draft policy that would not make the district fully "open enrollment" but would advertise an application window and evaluate applicants against thresholds such as grades, discipline and attendance. The presenter suggested examples — grades in the 80s, no more than two discipline referrals, and attendance of 95% or higher — as criteria the district could require, with a team screening applicants into "qualify" and "do not qualify" piles.
The staff recommendation was to begin conservatively: limit new transfers through sixth grade for the first years so the district can manage pathways into high school, and use a straight lottery if high‑school placements become necessary. Students would reapply annually; removal standards would be based on attendance and discipline, not strictly on grades, the presenter said.
Budget context: the presenter said the district's enrollment this year is about 300 students fewer than budgeted, a shortfall the presenter estimated at "a little over $2,000,000." Trustees asked about capacity, special‑education impacts and staffing. The presenter said the district has campus capacity on several campuses and could start with an intake of about 300–400 students depending on grade levels and available seats, but warned that staffing — especially special education — could limit intake and would be an explicit disqualifier in the application process if necessary.
Trustees discussed equity concerns, saying they did not want to allow out‑of‑district transfers to obtain options that in‑district students cannot access; the presenter acknowledged exceptions (for athletics or CTE programs) may be appropriate in some cases but said the district would seek to avoid duplicative program selection that skews one high school to be the "hot" choice in any given year.
No vote was taken; staff said the policy would return for further discussion and possible action in a later meeting timeline if the board is interested.
