District to open nonresident transfer window April 1–May 15; Lambert outlines slots, rules and outreach

Dr. Walter Lambert, the district’s director of student services, told the Warrick County School Corp. Board of Trustees that the district will open its nonresident transfer window April 1 and accept applications through May 15, with intracorporation (school-to-school) transfers to remain open longer.

Lambert said nonresident and intracorp transfers must meet behavior and attendance eligibility: applicants may not have 10 or more days of suspensions or 10 or more unexcused absences. He said academics are not a permissible criterion to deny a transfer. "We will request records for attendance and discipline," he said, and staff will review those records as part of the process.

Lambert provided preliminary slot estimates: about 490 openings in middle and high schools and roughly 229 elementary slots; he noted Castle Elementary is closed to transfers because of local enrollment pressure. He said specialized special-education programs (for example, functional academics or behavior programs) are at capacity and closed to outside transfers. "It's like a Rubik's cube times 50," Lambert said of the logistical challenge of assigning transfer slots.

The director said the district will accept some transfers after May 15 when space is available but may close certain grade levels earlier if slots fill. He also described that some diploma seals require substantial documented hours of work-based learning (one example cited: an employment honor seal requires 650 hours), while state guidance requires a minimum of 25 hours for a work-based learning experience to be counted.

Lambert addressed funding and count-day concerns, saying accepting transfers after count day may delay revenue for that year but could bring students into the district for subsequent years. He and other trustees said the district will do outreach, including online information, to clarify there is no transfer tuition for nonresident students and that families must provide transportation for students attending a school outside their residence area.

Trustees asked clarifying questions about intracorp numbers and timing; Lambert said last year the district processed several hundred intracorp moves and nearly 300 nonresident applicants, and staff will present finalized slot numbers after further internal adjustments. The board scheduled follow-up committee meetings and directed staff to publish transfer information for families.